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Our  Little  Philippine  Cousin 


The  Little  Cousin  Series 


Each  volume  illustrated  with  six  or  more  full-page  plates 
in  tint.    Cloth,  i2mo,  with  decorative  cover, 
per  volume,  60  cents. 

J* 

LIST  OF  TITLES 

By  Mary  Hazelton  Wade  (unless  otherwise  indicated). 

Our  Little  African  Cousin  Our  Little  Irish  Cousin 

Our  Little  Armenian  Cousin  Our  Little  Italian  Cousin 

Our  Little  Brown  Cousin  Our  Little  Japanese  Cousin 

Our  Little  Canadian  Cousin  Our  Little  Jewish  Cousin 

By  Elizabeth  R.  Macdonald  Our  Little  Korean  Cousin 
Our  Little  Chinese  Cousin  By  H'  Lee  M-  Pike 

By  Isaac  Taylor  Headland  Our  Little  Mexican  Cousin 


Our  Little  Cuban  Cousin 
Our  Little  Dutch  Cousin 

By  Blanche  McManus 
Our  Little  English  Cousin 

By  Blanche  McManus 


By  Edward  C.  Butler 
Our  Little  Norwegian  Cousin 

Our  Little  Panama  Cousin 

By  H.  Lee  M.  Pike 

Our  Little  Philippine  Cousin 
Our  Little  Porto  Rican  Cousin 


Our  Little  Eskimo  Cousin  Qur  UMe  Russi&n  Cousin 


Our  Little  French  Cousin 


Our  Little  Scotch 


By  Blanche  McManus  By  Blanche  McManus 

Our  Little  German  Cousin  Our  Little  Siamese  Cousin 

Our  Little  Hawaiian  Cousin     .   Our  Little  Swiss  Cousin 
Our  Little  Indian  Cousin  Our  Little  Turkish  Cousin 

(In  Preparation) 
Our  Little  Spanish  Cousin  Our  Little  Swedish  Cousin 

& 

L.  G  PAGE  &  COMPANY 
New  England  Building,  Boston,  Mass. 


AL1LA 


I      Our  Little  $ 

$  Philippine  Cousin  | 

*  4 

^  By  ^ 
*  Mary  Hazelton  Wade  4 
*  4 

^  Illustrated  by 

4*  L.  J.  Bridgman  ^ 

❖  4 

*  * 

%  4 

*  4 

4^  Boston  4 

■¥  4 

^  L.  C.  Page  &  Company  ^ 

*^  Publishers  4 

3? 


Copyright,  igo2 

By  L.  C.  Page  &  Company 
(incorporated) 

All  rights  reserved 


Published,  June,  1902 
Sixth  Impression,  March,  1906 


Colont'al  Press 
Electrotyped  and  Printed  by  C  H.  Simonds  &  Co. 
Boston,  Mass.,  U.  S.  A. 


WIS/ 1 


Preface 

On  the  farther  side  of  the  great  Pacific 
Ocean  are  the  Philippine  Islandsc  These  form 
one  of  the  many  island  groups  that  hang  like  a 
fringe  or  festoon*  on  the  skirt  of  the  continent 
of  Asia.  Like  most  of  the  islands  in  the  Pacific, 
the  Philippines  are  inhabited  by  people  belong- 
ing to  the  brown  race,  one  of  the  great  divisions 
of  the  family  of  mankind. 

The  Philippines  are  shared  by  many  tribes, 
all  belonging  to  the  same  brown  race.  People 
of  one  tribe  may  be  found  on  one  of  these 
islands ;  those  of  a  different  tribe  are  living 
on  another ;  or  one  tribe  may  live  in  a  val- 
ley and  its  neighbour  in  the  hills ;  and  so  on 
to  the  number  of  eighty  tribes.  Each  tribe 
has  its  own  customs  and  ways.    And  yet  we 


3857C9 


vi 


Preface 


shall  call  these  various  peoples  of  the  brown 
race  our  cousins ;  for  not  only  are  they  our 
kindred  by  the  ties  which  unite  all  the  races 
of  men  in  this  world ;  they  have  been  adopted 
into  the  family  of  our  own  nation,  the  United 
States  of  America. 

The  people  of  these  islands  are  many  of 
them  wild  and  distrustful  children.  They 
have  no  faith  in  us ;  they  do  not  wish  to  obey 
our  laws.  If  we  are  in  earnest  in  our  wish  to 
do  them  good,  and  not  harm,  we  must  learn 
to  know  them  better,  so  that  we  may  under- 
stand their  needs.  That  is  one  reason  why 
we  are  going  to  learn  about  our  little  Philip 
pine  cousin,  Alila  of  Luzon. 


Contents 

CHAPTER  PAGE 

I.    The  New  Baby  9 

II.    His  First  Party  15 

III.  The  Christening  21 

IV.  The  Building  of  the  House  ...  25 
V.  Four -Footed  Friends     ....  29 

VI.  The  Buffalo  Hunt  .....  33 

VII.  The  Rich  Man's  Home  39 

VIII.  Tapping  for  Tuba    .       .      .       .  .46 

IX.    Forest  and  Stream  51 

X.  A  Swarm  of  Locusts       .      .      .  .57 

XI.    The  New  Home  .63 

XII.    In  the  Forest  68 

XIII.  Crocodiles  73 

XIV.  Tonda's  Story  77 

XV.  Strange  Neighbours       .       .  ,    .      .  81 

XVI.  The  Stout- Hearted  Sailor  ...  88 


3857C9 


List  of  Illustrations 


PAGE 

Alila  ........  Frontispiece 

"  HIS    MOTHER    HAD   BATHED    HIM    EN   THE  WATER 

OF  THE   RIVER"  21 

"SOMETIMES   ALILA  RIDES   OX   HIS  BACK"       .  .       3 1 

"  HE  WAS  AS  NIMBLE   AS  A   SQUIRREL  "  .  .  -49 

"  SUCH     A     DIN      AND     COMMOTION     YOU  NEVER 

HEARD  "  58 

"  1  AROUND    ONE   PART    OF    THE    CITY    THERE   IS  A 

STRONG  WALL  '  "  78 


Our  Little  Philippine  Cousin 


CHAPTER  I. 

THE  NEW  BABY. 

Alila  is  such  a  strong,  active  boy  now,  it  is 
hard  to  imagine  him  in  his  babyhood,  —  he 
was  such  a  tiny  brown  tot ! 

His  nose  was  so  flat  one  would  hardly  have 
noticed  there  was  a  nose  at  all,  except  for  the 
wideness  of  the  nostrils.  His  big  black  eyes 
seemed  to  be  moving  around  all  the  time,  as 
much  as  to  say : 

"  I  must  find  out  everything  I  can,  and  just 
as  fast  as  I  can,  about  this  queer  place  in  which 
I  find  myself." 

His  hair  was  straight  and  coarse  and  black, 
even  on  the  day  he  was  born.    It  was  quite 

9 


io    Our  Little  Philippine  Cousin 

warm  (in  fact,  almost  all  the  days  are  warm  in 
the  Philippines),  yet  the  doorway  was  carefully 
covered  and  the  windows  closed  tightly. 

Now,  why  do  you  suppose  Alila  found  him- 
self shut  up  in  a  close  room  like  that  when 
he  first  entered  this  big  round  world  of  ours, 
while  there  was  such  a  soft  gentle  breeze  out- 
side as  scarcely  to  move  the  tops  of  the  cacao- 
trees  in  the  garden  ? 

The  fact  is,  Alila's  father,  who  is  not  afraid 
of  the  wild  buffalo  nor  the  boa-constrictor,  nor 
even  the  huge  cayman,  is  constantly  dreading 
the  evil  that  bad  spirits  may  bring  to  him. 
And  now  he  had  a  darling  boy  of  his  very  own  ! 
According  to  the  beliefs  of  his  people,  no  evil 
spirit  must  be  allowed  to  enter  a  home  when  a 
child  is  born,  or  the  little  one  might  be  troubled 
by  the  spirit  for  the  rest  of  his  life. 

So  the  loving  parent  walked  back  and  forth 
over  the  roof  waving  a  bolo  in  his  hand,  as 
much  as  to  say: 


The  New  Baby  1 1 

fC  Look  out,  spirits,  or  you  may  get  your 
throats  cut.  Keep  away  from  here.  Do  not 
try  to  get  inside  to  trouble  my  little  one." 

He  did  this  very  earnestly  in  the  first  hour 
of  Alila's  life,  although  he  was  shown  the 
foolishness  of  such  ideas  by  the  priests  the 
Spaniards  sent  among  his  people. 

He  is  a  small  man,  this  father  of  Alila.  He 
has  high  cheek-bones  like  the  Chinese  and 
Japanese,  and  no  beard  upon  his  face. 

When  he  felt  that  everything  was  really 
safe,  he  climbed  down  from  the  thatched  roof, 
and,  opening  the  door  as  little  as  possible, 
went  softly  up  to  the  mat  where  the  baby 
lay  and  kissed  him. 

But,  dear  me  !  not  all  persons  kiss  the 
way  we  do,  and  this  father  of  the  Malay 
race  seemed  rather  to  smell  the  baby  than 
anything  else  we  can  think  of.  He  placed 
his  own  nose  and  lips  on  the  baby's  cheek 
and  drew  a  long  breath.      It  was  done  to 


12    Our  Little  Philippine  Cousin 

show  his  love,  and  that  is  what  any  kiss  is 
given  for,  is  it  not? 

This  baby's  bed  would  not,  perhaps,  suit  all 
the  other  babies  in  the  world.  Some  of  those 
babies  we  know  are  cared  for  on  cushions  of 
down  and  wrapped  in  soft  flannels  and  delicate 
muslins.  But  what  did  black-eyed  Alila  care 
for  that  ?  To  be  sure,  he  lay  on  a  mat  of 
woven  palm  leaves,  but  it  was  sweet  and  fresh. 

And  although  the  floor  his  eyes  sometimes 
rested  on  was  not  covered  with  a  rich  velvet 
carpet,  it  was  smooth  and  clean,  for  it  was 
made  of  split  bamboos  flattened  and  fitted  close 
together.  And  oh,  that  floor  was  beautifully 
polished  by  Mother  Nature  herself,  for  the 
bamboos  as  they  grow  are  covered  on  the  out- 
side with  a  coating  of  the  finest  and  hardest 
varnish. 

If  Alila  could  have  thought  about  it  at  all, 
he  would  have  considered  himself  more  fortu- 
nate than  most  babies,  —  for  did  not  his  own 


The  New  Baby  13 

dear  mother,  who  lay  at  his  side,  make  every 
bit  of  the  spread  which  covered  his  tiny  body  ? 
She  had  taken  the  fibres  of  pineapple  leaves 
and  hemp  and  woven  them  together. 

But  that  alone  would  not  make  the  spread 
beautiful  enough  for  her  dear  one.  It  must  be 
given  a  bright  colour,  so  she  searched  through 
the  woods  till  she  found  a  sapan-wood  tree ; 
then,  breaking  off  some  branches  and  opening 
them,  she  took  a  substance  from  the  heart  of 
each  and  made  a  crimson  dye. 

So  you  can  see  that  the  cover  was  done  en- 
tirely by  Alila's  mother ;  and  you  can  ask 
yourself  if  that  wasn't  a  hundred  times  bet- 
ter than  buying  cloth  out  of  a  store.  That 
would  not  have  the  touch  of  love  in  its 
making. 

There  was  something  else  in  Alila's  home 
one  does  not  see  in  other  lands.  Whenever 
the  baby's  eyes  turned  toward  the  light,  they 
found  it  very  soft  and  restful,  for  it  came 


14   Our  Little  Philippine  Cousin 

through  a  window  in  which  were  fitted  the 
inner  shells  of  a  certain  kind  of  oyster. 

It  was  so  pretty !  The  colours  of  the  rain- 
bow shone  there  in  pale  tints,  and  the  flaring 
sunshine  could  not  enter.  The  room  was 
kept  in  a  sort  of  twilight  all  day  long,  and 
made  it  pleasant  for  the  new-born  baby  and 
his  mamma  to  doze  and  dream. 


CHAPTER  II. 


HIS   FIRST  PARTY. 

Alila  was  not  two  hours  old  before  friends 
began  to  arrive  to  see  him.  But  they  did  not 
enter  suddenly !  That  would  have  been  the 
height  of  rudeness.  As  they  reached  the 
doorway3  each  in  turn  stood  for  a  long  time 
on  the  outside,  making  many  complimentary 
remarks  to  Alila's  family.  That  was  their  way 
of  showing  themselves  well-mannered  and 
polite. 

The  Tagals,  for  that  is  the  name  of  this 
tribe  of  people,  never  do  anything  suddenly. 
They  do  not  appear  to  believe  in  surprise 
parties. 

When  all  the  fine  speeches  which  seemed 
proper  had  been  made,  they  entered  the  little 

15 


16   Our  Little  Philippine  Cousin 

house  and  came  to  the  side  of  the  new  baby. 
They  made  the  young  mother  very  proud  by 
the  praise  they  gave  her  tiny  son. 

But  she  and  her  husband  were  not  the  only 
ones  pleased.  There  was  Alila's  grandmother, 
who  was  always  the  most  honoured  one  in  the 
household  ;  there  was  also  an  aunt  who  made 
her  home  here  as  she  was  too  poor  to  have  one 
of  her  own  ;  and  beside  these,  there  was  a  lame 
old  man,  a  friend  of  the  family,  who  had  come 
to  them  for  shelter.  The  Tagals  are  so  hospi- 
table they  will  never  turn  any  one  from  their 
homes. 

As  one  visitor  after  another  arrived,  the 
little  house  became  crowded.  If  it  had  not  been 
for  the  high,  dome-shaped  roof,  the  air  would 
have  grown  heavy  and  impure.  As  it  was, 
Alila  and  his  mother  soon  grew  very  tired  and 
closed  their  eyes  in  sleep. 

"  That  is  good,"  said  the  grandmother,  "  we 
must  let  her  rest.    We  will  go  out  under  the 


His  First  Party  17 

cacao-trees  and  talk,  and  I  will  bring  some 
cocoa  wine  and  betel  to  you  there." 

This  old  woman  was  certainly  not  pretty, 
although  good  and  thoughtful.  As  she  stood 
talking  to  the  visitors  in  low  tones,  one  could 
see  how  short  she  was.  Her  coarse,  black  hair 
grew  down  upon  her  forehead  almost  to  her 
eyebrows ;  her  wrinkled  skin  was  dark  brown  ; 
her  eyes  were  large  and  round  and,  like  her 
baby  grandchild's,  ever  turning  in  a  new 
direction. 

She  was  dressed  in  a  short  skirt  much  like 
those  of  the  other  women  of  the  party  ;  it  was 
of  three  colours,  —  green,  white,  and  bright  red. 
Over  this  she  wore  a  large  piece  of  blue  cotton 
cloth,  cut  in  the  shape  of  an  oblong,  tucked  in 
at  the  waist  and  hanging  over  her  skirt  almost 
down  to  her  knees.  No  shoes  or  stockings 
covered  the  bare  legs  or  feet,  but  she  did  not 
seem  to  miss  them. 

She  was  as  straight  as  an  arrow,  even  if  she 


1 8    Our  Little  Philippine  Cousin 

were  a  grandmother.  Perhaps  it  was  because 
she  had  been  used  to  carrying  jars  of  water  and 
baskets  of  fruit  upon  her  head  ever  since  she 
was  a  little  child. 

She  moved  softly  about  the  hut  as  she 
got  the  entertainment  ready  for  the  company. 
From  one  corner  she  drew  forth  a  large  bam- 
boo with  a  grass  stopple  in  it.  This  held  the 
wine  the  guests  would  sip  so  sparingly,  for  the 
Tagals  are  a  sober  people  and  seldom  drink 
enough  fermented  liquor  to  hurt  them.  The 
old  woman  next  got  some  cocoanut  shells  to- 
gether. These  were  the  only  drinking-cups 
the  family  ever  used. 

But  the  betel  which  she  now  placed  beside 
the  other  things,  —  what  is  that,  you  ask?  It 
is  not  a  food,  and  yet  it  often  takes  the  place 
of  food ;  for  a  Tagal  can  work  a  long  time 
without  eating  if  he  can  chew  all  of  this  he 
wishes.  It  is  prepared  from  the  nut  of  the 
areca  palm,  one  of  the  most  beautiful  trees  in 


His  First  Party  19 

the  world.  A  palm  of  this  kind  grows  right 
beside  Alila's  home,  and,  now  that  he  is  a  big 
boy,  he  climbs  the  tall  tree  himself  and  brings 
down  the  nuts  which  grow  at  the  top  under 
the  tuft  of  glossy  green  leaves. 

The  nuts  are  cut  into  thin  slices  and  wrapped 
in  the  leaves  of  a  singular  plant  called  buyo. 
But,  before  they  can  be  used  for  this  purpose, 
these  leaves  are  coated  with  lime  made  from 
oyster  shells  and  then  folded  up. 

Alila's  grandmother  prepared  a  quantity  of 
betel  before  the  new  baby  was  born. 

Just  as  she  was  going  out  to  offer  refresh- 
ments, another  visitor  arrived.  It  was  a  friend 
who  had  come  from  a  distance,  but  the  mother 
and  child  must  not  be  wakened.  Oh,  no ! 
that  was  not  to  be  thought  of.  The  souls  of 
people  leave  their  bodies  and  go  away  while 
they  are  sleeping,  the  old  woman  believes ; 
and  if  any  one  should  arouse  them  suddenly, 
they  might  never  return  to  their  bodies. 


20   Our  Little  Philippine  Cousin 

So,  of  course,  the  visitor,  who  also  had  this 
belief,  wouldn't  have  disturbed  the  sleepers  for 
anything  in  the  world.  She  quietly  turned 
away  and  joined  the  other  guests  in  the  garden. 


HIS    MOTHER    HAD    BATHED    HIM    IN    THE    WATER    OF  THE 
RIVER  " 


CHAPTER  III. 


THE  CHRISTENING. 

Aula  was  christened  soon  after  he  was 
born.  Dear  me,  what  a  time  that  was  !  The 
festival  lasted  several  days.  There  was  a  host 
of  friends  and  acquaintances  around  the  little 
home,  making  merry  and  admiring  the  baby. 

Alila  himself  was  as  clean  and  sweet  as  any 
child  in  the  world  could  be.  His  mother  had 
bathed  him  in  the  water  of  the  river  which 
flowed  down  the  mountainside  near  them, 
while  the  leaves  of  the  papaw-tree  took  the 
place  of  soap. 

The  young  mother  herself  was  only  fifteen 
years  old.  She  was  dressed  in  her  brightest 
skirt  and  fairly  shone  with  the  abundance  of 
cheap  jewelry  she  wore.    Her  hair  was  combed 

21 


22    Our  Little  Philippine  Cousin 

straight  back  from  her  forehead.  She  wore 
nothing  on  her  feet  excepting  her  queer  slip- 
pers, of  which  she  seemed  very  proud.  She 
had  herself  embroidered  them  to  look  like  a 
pair  worn  by  the  rich  lady  whose  husband 
owned  the  plantation.  They  were  perfectly 
flat  and  had  only  uppers  enough  to  encase  two 
or  three  toes. 

What  queer,  uncomfortable  things  to  wear 
on  one's  feet !  Alila  will  never  own  such 
things  because  he  is  a  boy,  and  he  should  be 
glad  of  it. 

His  grandmother  and  aunt  had  a  fine  feast 
prepared  for  the  visitors.  There  was  a  good 
supply  of  roasted  buffalo  and  wild  boar's  meat. 
There  was  a  salad  made  from  the  young  green 
tops  of  the  bamboo ;  steamed  rice  and  stewed 
iguana ;  papaws,  which  tasted  like  melons ; 
tamarind  sauce  and  guavas  and  bananas.  And, 
of  course,  there  was  an  abundance  of  betel, 
cocoa  wine  and  tuba. 


The  Christening  23 

But  strangest  of  all  the  dishes  at  the  Tagal's 
feast4  was  one  prepared  from  a  kind  of  beetle. 
The  guests  relished  it  greatly  and  Alila's 
father  was  praised  very  much  for  surprising 
them  with  this  dainty. 

But  the  feast  was  only  a  small  part  of  the 
entertainment.  A  band  came  from  the  village 
to  furnish  music.  Every  instrument  on  which 
they  played  was  made  of  bamboo.  Then 
there  was  dancing  and  singing  under  the  palm- 
trees  by  old  and  young,  and  when  evening 
came  there  were  displays  of  fireworks. 

As  Alila's  father  was  quite  poor,  how  could 
he  afford  such  splendour  ?  The  fact  is,  it  cost 
him  nothing !  It  was  a  free  show  given  by 
Mother  Nature.  Her  little  children,  the  fire- 
flies, gathered  in  great  numbers  and  danced  in 
circles  around  the  trees.  Any  one  ought  to  be 
satisfied  with  fireworks  like  those. 

Alila's  eyes  watched  the  people  eat  with 
their  fingers  and  looked  at  the  lights  dancing 


24   Our  Little  Philippine  Cousin 

about ;  he  listened  to  the  odd,  sweet  music  for 
a  little  while ;  and  then  those  black  eyes  closed 
tightly  and  he  lay  fast  asleep  in  his  young 
mother's  arms.  Of  course,  he  doesn't  remem- 
ber anything  about  it  now,  but  his  grand- 
mother has  told  him  the  story  so  many  times 
it  almost  seems  as  though  his  own  mind  had 
kept  the  pictures  for  him. 


CHAPTER  IV. 


THE  BUILDING  OF  THE  HOUSE. 

And  now  he  is  a  big  boy,  ten  years  old,  and 
can  do  so  many  things  to  help  his  parents.  He 
has  not  always  lived  in  the  home  where  he 
was  born.  Last  summer  a  whirlwind  destroyed 
that  one,  but  he  helped  his  father  build  an- 
other just  like  the  first,  and  he  showed  himself 
a  very  clever  worker. 

He  searched  through  the  forest  for  bamboos 
of  the  right  size ;  he  did  his  share  in  cutting 
them  down  and  splitting  them  for  the  walls  of 
the  hut.  When  they  were  ready,  he  worked 
each  morning  in  thatching  the  roof  until  it 
grew  too  warm.  Then  came  dinner  and  a  nap 
under  the  trees  until  the  late  afternoon,  wh.tr? 
work  began  again. 

2$ 


26   Our  Little  Philippine  Cousin 

In  a  few  days  a  new  home  was  ready  and 
the  terrible  hurricane  forgotten  by  the  care- 
free, happy  little  boy. 

Can  you  guess  what  part  of  the  hut  took 
the  largest  share  of  Alila's  time  and  attention  ? 
It  must  have  been  the  window-panes,  for  he 
was  anxious  to  get  the  most  beautiful  mother- 
of-pearl  he  could  find.  He  had  to  take  a  trip 
to  the  seashore  ten  miles  away,  and  then  he 
spent  many  hours  finding  such  oyster  shells  as 
had  a  very  delicate  lining. 

"  The  two  windows  must  be  beauties,"  said 
the  boy  to  himself,  "  for  that  will  please  my 
mother  so  much." 

No  carpenter's  shop  nor  store  was  visited 
during  the  whole  time.  It  was  not  needful, 
for  the  forest  near  by  stretched  its  arms  to- 
ward the  workers,  as  much  as  to  say :  "  Come 
to  me ;  I  will  gladly  give  you  everything  you 
can  possibly  wish." 

"  How  about  nails,"  you  ask,  "  and  stout 


The  Building  of  the  House  27 

cord  with  which  to  fasten  all  the  parts  to- 
gether ?  " 

Nails,  and  a  bolt  in  the  door?  Why,  what 
could  be  better  than  a  stick  of  rattan,  cut  and 
whittled  into  shape  ?  Cord  ?  That  was  ob- 
tained very  easily,  too,  from  a  bushrope-tree 
growing  near  Alila's  home.  It  is  so  stout  and 
strong  it  is  not  an  easy  thing  to  break  it. 

When  the  house  was  finished,  it  looked  like 
a  great  beehive.  There  was  only  one  room, 
but  what  of  that?  If  people  are  perfectly 
comfortable  they  can  be  as  happy  in  a  one- 
roomed  hut  as  though  they  lived  in  a  palace. 

Alila  has  so  many  good  times  you  would 
almost  envy  him.  In  the  first  place,  it  takes 
him  only  a  minute  to  dress  in  the  morning. 
A  pair  of  thin  trousers  and  a  shirt  hanging 
down  outside  instead  of  being  tucked  in  at  the 
waist,  and  his  toilet  is  made. 

When  he  goes  out  into  the  sunlight,  he 
wears  an  odd-looking  hat  of  rattan.     It  is 


28    Our  Little  Philippine  Cousin 

made  in  the  shape  of  a  cone,  and  shields  his 
eyes  nicely  from  the  sunshine.  He  goes  to 
no  school,  so  he  does  not  know  how  to  write 
to  his  new  American  brothers,  but  that  doesn't 
trouble  him  in  the  least. 

He  always  has  enough  to  eat,  and  is  satisfied 
with  a  dinner  of  rice  and  fish  any  day.  Be- 
sides, there  is  always  a  bunch  of  bananas  hang- 
ing inside  the  house,  and  he  has  sugar-cane  in 
abundance. 

He  is  hardly  ever  punished  and  is  allowed 
to  do  very  much  as  he  pleases.  It  is  fortunate 
that  he  pleases  to  do  right  nearly  all  the  time. 

He  swims  every  day  in  the  river;  he  fishes 
from  his  bamboo  raft;  he  hunts  in  the  forest 
with  his  father.  His  chief  duty  on  the  sugar 
plantation  is  to  keep  the  monkeys  out  of  the 
cane.  It  was  not  long  ago  that  he  shot  two 
of  the  mischievous  little  fellows  with  his  bow 
and  arrow  and  hung  the  poor  things  on  poles 
like  scarecrows  to  frighten  others  away. 


CHAPTER  V. 


FOUR-FOOTED  FRIEXDS. 

Alila  has  a  tame  monkey  at  home  now. 
He  has  taught  him  many  clever  tricks.  Every 
night  when  he  goes  to  bed.,  the  monkey  curls 
himself  up  by  his  side  and  lies  there  till  morn- 
ing. He  seems  to  love  his  little  master  very 
dearly  and  often  rides  on  his  shoulder  while 
Alila  is  working. 

Until  a  few  months  ago,  the  boy  has  lived 
on  a  sugar  plantation  owned  by  a  rich  Tagal 
planter.  The  plantation  is  divided  up  into 
small  farms  and  rented  to  different  workmen. 
The  planter  furnishes  one  buffalo  and  ail  the 
needed  tools  to  care  for  each  little  place. 

When  the  harvest  time  arrives  in  December, 
each  tenant  carries  his  crop  to  the  mill  for 


30   Our  Little  Philippine  Cousin 

grinding.  He  is  allowed  one-third  of  it  for 
himself,  and,  whatever  price  it  brings,  it  must 
support  his  family  for  the  next  year. 

Alila  is  not  the  least  afraid  of  his  father's 
buffalo.  When  he  was  only  three  years  old 
the  huge  creature  would  obey  him  and  allow 
him  to  drive  anywhere  he  pleased.  He 
seemed  to  know  by  the  tone  of  the  boy's 
voice  just  what  he  wished  him  to  do. 

It  made  an  odd  picture, — -the  tiny  little  fel- 
low, holding  a  slender  rein  in  his  chubby 
hands  as  he  trotted  along  by  the  buffalo's 
side.  The  rein  was  fastened  to  a  piece  of 
split  rattan  drawn  through  the  animal's  nose. 
Yet  somehow  every  motion  of  Alila  was 
understood  by  him.  Is  it  the  boy's  patience 
that  makes  the  beast  so  gentle  ?  We  like  to 
think  so. 

If  we  should  take  Alila's  place  the  animal 
would  not  stir  to  obey  us.  He  would  at 
once  become  stubborn  and  ugly,  because  he 


tc  SOMETIMES    ALILA    RIDES    ON    HIS    BACK  " 


Four- Footed  Friends  31 

is  not  used  to  our  quick,  nervous,  impatient 
ways. 

He  cannot  work  all  day  like  a  horse.  After 
two  or  three  hours,  he  needs  to  stop  and  rest. 
But  that  is  not  enough,  —  he  suffers  if  he  can- 
not have  a  bath.  Sometimes  Alila  rides  on 
his  back  when  he  plunges  into  the  river,  and 
holds  on  without  fear  while  the  buffalo  stretches 
his  head  down  and  holds  it  under  the  water  for 
two  minutes  at  a  time  as  he  searches  for  food. 

How  Alila  does  love  him !  He  has  the 
next  place  in  his  heart  to  his  father  and 
mother.  But  the  buffalo  has  other  good 
friends  beside  Alila's  family.  They  are  not 
people,  nor  even  other  buffaloes.  They  are 
white  herons  that  follow  him  as  he  ploughs. 
They  are  not  afraid  if  Alila  is  the  only  person 
there.  As  the  animal's  heavy  feet  plod  over 
the  ground,  worms  and  insects  come  to  the 
surface.  The  herons  know  this  and  easily  get 
a  good  breakfast. 


32   Our  Little  Philippine  Cousin 

Besides  these  attendants,  a  small  blackbird 
often  keeps  the  buffalo  company,  who  will 
raise  up  his  head  in  delight  to  meet  it.  Why 
is  it  ?  Because  the  bird  flies  about  his  head 
and  neck  and  picks  off  the  insects  from  his 
skin. 

This  buffalo  has  lived  on  the  farm  from  the 
time  he  was  caught  wild  when  a  baby.  If  he 
had  not  been  so  young  he  could  never  have 
been  tamed.  A  wild  buffalo  is  a  terrible 
thing ;  he  is  most  to  be  dreaded  of  any  crea 
ture  in  the  islands. 


CHAPTER  VI. 


THE  BUFFALO  HUNT. 

Alila's  father  has  been  on  several  buffalo 
hunts,  but  never  yet  has  he  allowed  his  boy  to 
go  with  him.  He  says  it  is  far  too  dangerous ; 
the  little  boy  must  wait  until  he  is  older.  But 
it  is  so  hard  to  wait,  Alila  thinks,  as  he  longs 
for  the  time  to  come  and  looks  up  at  the 
pair  of  horns  brought  home  from  the  last 
hunt. 

The  horns  are  very  long  and  curved  and 
sharp.  The  boy  often  wonders  if  there  is 
another  animal  in  the  world  with  such  fearful 
horns.    He  says  to  himself : 

"  Perhaps  the  very  buffalo  who  owned  this 
pair  was  the  one  that  gored  to  death  poor 
Olo."    Alila  stretched  himself  on  the  ground, 

33 


34   Our  Little  Philippine  Cousin 

closed  his  eyes,  and  again  pictured  the  story 
in  his  mind.    This  is  the  tale : 

In  the  village  just  below  the  plantation 
there  lived  a  young  man  who  was  honest  and 
brave  but  very  poor.  It  happened  that  he 
ioved  the  daughter  of  a  neighbour  very  dearly 
and  she  returned  his  love.  But  the  youth 
had  no  money  and  no  land,  and  at  first  the 
girl's  father  said : 

"  No,  you  cannot  have  my  daughter,  for 
you  can  give  her  no  wedding  portion. 

It  is  the  custom  among  these  people  for  the 
lover  to  give  his  bride  as  fine  a  present  as  her 
parents  think  suitable.  The  young  man  felt 
very  sad,  when  an  idea  entered  his  mind  that 
gave  him  hope.     He  said  to  the  father : 

fC  Can  I  not  come  to  your  farm  and  serve 
you  for  two  years  ?  And  if  I  then  show  my- 
self faithful  in  all  my  duties,  will  you  give  me 
your  daughter  ?  " 

The  father  consented.    It  was  a  very  com- 


The  Buffalo  Hunt  35 

mon  thing  for  such  service  to  be  given,  and  he 
felt  satisfied. 

The  two  years  passed  by.  The  young  man 
had  worked  day  after  day  at  the  hardest  labour. 
He  had  never  spoken  a  cross  word  nor  found 
the  slightest  fault.  But  now  that  his  service 
was  over  and  the  day  set  for  his  marriage,  he 
wished  to  show  the  father  of  the  lovely  girl 
how  brave  he  was,  and  he  wanted  to  make  his 
bride  some  little  present,  too. 

He  heard  that  a  party  of  men,  one  of  whom 
was  Alila's  father,  were  going  on  a  buffalo 
hunt.  He  would  join  them.  It  was  to  be  his 
first  venture  of  this  kind,  but  he  had  no  fear. 

The  party  was  made  up  of  six  men  on  horse- 
back, two  tame  buffaloes,  and  a  pack  of  im- 
mense dogs  used  to  hunting.  The  men  were 
armed  with  knives  and  spears  and  each  one 
carried  a  lasso. 

They  started  in  the  early  morning  and  rode 
out  over  the  plains  till  they  came  to  the  edge 


36    Our  Little  Philippine  Cousin 

of  a  large  forest.  There  they  waited  at  some 
little  distance  from  an  opening  through  the 
trees  while  the  dogs  were  sent  into  the  forest 
to  rouse  the  prey.  They  had  only  a  short 
time  to  wait  before  the  barking  of  the  dogs 
was  heard. 

They  took  their  places  some  distance  from 
each  other  and  listened  breathless.  The  young 
lover  was  to  be  given  the  first  chance  in  this 
combat.  A  bull-fight  is  fearful  enough,  but 
it  cannot  compare  with  the  struggle  between  a 
maddened  buffalo  and  his  pursuer. 

Hark  !  There  is  a  crashing  of  trees,  a  falling 
of  branches.  The  ground  shakes  and  out 
from  the  darkness  of  the  forest  plunges  a 
huge  buffaro.  He  raises  a  storm  of  dust 
as  he  comes  onward.  He  is  shining  black, 
and  as  he  tosses  his  head  one  can  see  the 
wicked  horns,  capable  of  doing  such  terrible 
injury. 

For  an  instant  he  pauses  and  looks  at  the 


The  Buffalo  Hunt  37 

men  standing  ready  to  capture  him  ;  then  he 
rushes  toward  the  young  man,  who  now  has 
the  chance  he  begged  for.  With  lasso  in  hand 
he  urges  his  horse  toward  the  buffalo. 

It  is  over  in  a  moment's  time.  He  has 
hurled  his  lasso  but  has  failed ;  and  before  he 
can  move  out  of  danger  the  furious  animal  has 
thrown  him  from  his  horse  and  ended  his  life. 

But  the  other  hunters  cannot  stop  a  second. 
They^  too,  will  lose  their  lives  if  they  are  not 
careful  and  quick.  One  after  another  gallops 
after  the  enraged  animal  and  throws  his  lasso. 
There  are  several  failures,  but  each  time  the 
men  manage  to  escape.  At  last  two  are  suc- 
cessful, and  the  monster,  hardly  able  to  breathe, 
stands  quiet  and  still. 

He  is  conquered.  And  now  other  lassos 
are  drawn  tightly  around  that  magnificent  head 
and  the  animal  is  tied  to  the  stout  trunk  of  a 
tree.  The  danger  is  over  for  these  others,  but 
the  poor  youth  who  longed  so  greatly  to  sue- 


38    Our  Little  Philippine  Cousin 

ceed  lies  dead  not  far  away.  He  will  never  see 
his  dear  one  again. 

The  men  lift  his  body  tenderly  and  carry  it 
to  the  place  where  the  tame  buffaloes  have 
been  left.  They  place  it  on  the  back  of  one 
of  them.  Then  they  return  to  their  prey  and 
fasten  a  rattan  ring  through  his  nose.  With 
one  of  the  tame  buffaloes  on  each  side  of  him, 
he  can  now  be  easily  led  to  the  village,  where 
they  will  kill  him. 

All  the  people  came  out  to  meet  the  hunters, 
and,  when  they  heard  the  sad  news,  all  hearts 
were  filled  with  pity  for  the  young  bride. 


CHAPTER  VII. 


THE   RICH    MAX'S  HOME. 

One  day  as  the  boy  lay  dreaming  of  the 
time  when  he  should  be  allowed  to  risk  his  life 
in  a  buffalo  hunt,  his  quick  ear  heard  the  steps 
of  some  one  coming  down  the  road.  He 
jumped  up  and  saw  an  old  friend  of  his 
father's,  a  well-known  hunter.  He  carried  a 
basket  in  each  hand  and  would  not  have 
stopped  if  Alila  had  not  called  out : 

"  Where  have  you  been  the  last  few  days  ? 
And  where  are  you  going  ?  Father  will  be 
home  soon  and  he  will  wish  to  see  you." 

cc  I  am  on  my  way  to  the  master's  house  to 
sell  these  bird's  nests  and  I  will  stop  here  on 
my  way  back.  I  expect  a  good  price  for  them. 
He  told  me  he  would  pay  me  well  Ah^  but  it 

39 


40   Our  Little  Philippine  Cousin 

was  hard  work  getting  them,  my  little  fellow  ! 
You  never  could  have  done  it  in  the  world.'* 

Alila  looked  at  the  hunter  with  envy,  for  he 
knew  how  dangerous  his  work  had  been. 
Among  many  people  in  the  East,  no  food  is 
thought  so  great  a  dainty  as  these  edible  birds' 
nests.  What  queer  tastes  they  have !  At 
least  it  seems  so  to  us. 

There  is  a  certain  kind  of  bird  that  makes 
its  nest  high  up  on  the  sides  of  steep  cliffs  jut- 
ting out  over  the  waters  of  the  ocean.  These 
nests  are  like  no  others.  The  birds  that  build 
them  swallow  a  certain  kind  of  glutinous  weed 
growing  on  the  coral  rocks.  They  then  cough 
it  up  and  use  this  material  they  have  so  oddly 
prepared  in  making  their  nests. 

Whenever  a  man  makes  it  his  business  to 
search  for  these  nests,  he  knows  the  danger  full 
well.  Slowly  and  painfully  he  must  climb  the 
sides  of  the  cliffs,  often  placing  his  feet  where 
we  should  think  there  was  no  foothold  what- 


The  Rich  Man's  Home  41 

ever.  He  clutches  at  a  sharp  point  of  rock 
here,  or  a  twig  there ;  but  if  it  is  not  as  safe  as 
he  believed,  woe  unto  him  !  For  down  he  falls 
into  the  raging  waters  below  and  is  a  lucky 
man  if  he  is  not  dashed  to  pieces  on  the  sharp 
rocks.  Again,  he  may  grow  faint  and  dizzy 
when  he  has  climbed  only  a  part  of  the  way, 
or  he  may  lose  his  hold  from  very  weakness. 

The  Chinese  are  as  fond  of  these  edible 
birds'  nests  as  are  the  Filipinos.  Perhaps  you 
have  heard  of  the  great  Chinese  viceroy,  Li 
Hung  Chang,  who  came  to  visit  us  several 
years  ago.  He  brought  his  own  cooks  and  a 
large  supply  of  birds'  nests  and  sharks'  fins. 

Alila  joined  the  hunter  on  his  way  to  the 
planter's  mansion.  The  boy  wished  to  have  a 
chance  to  see  the  grand  lady,  the  planter's 
wife,  and  their  little  daughter,  who  plays  so 
beautifully  on  the  harp. 

They  soon  reached  the  house,  which  seemed 
very  large  beside  Alila's  little  cabin.    It  was 


42    Our  Little  Philippine  Cousin 

two  stories  high.  The  lower  part  was  of  stone 
and  the  upper  half  of  wood.  It  would  not 
have  been  safe  to  use  stone  above  the  lower 
floor  on  account  of  the  frequent  earthquakes. 

The  roof  was  thatched  with  cogon  grass. 
When  it  was  built  the  planter  said  to  himself : 
"  I  will  not  have  an  iron  roof  like  many  of  the 
city  houses ;  it  would  be  too  hot.  I  like  the 
grass  thatching  much  better." 

Beautiful  gardens  where  roses  were  always 
in  bloom  surrounded  the  house.  Bright-col- 
oured birds  flew  about  among  the  bushes,  but 
they  had  no  songs  for  Alila  and  the  hunter  as 
they  passed  along.  The  broad  veranda  was 
shaded  by  a  clump  of  tall  banana-trees,  sway- 
ing to  and  fro  in  the  gentle  breeze.  How 
noble  they  looked,  with  their  tufts  of  glossy 
leaves  at  the  very  top,  lapping  over  each  other 
and  shutting  out  the  sun's  hot  rays  ! 

As  Alila  glanced  up  to  see  if  the  fruit  was 
ripening  the  hunter  said  : 


The  Rich  Man's  Home  43 

cc  Did  you  ever  hear  the  stories  told  of  the 
banana  ?  Some  say  it  is  the  very  fruit  that 
tempted  Eve  in  the  Garden  of  Eden,,  while 
others  think  that  she  and  Adam  made  their 
first  clothing  of  banana  leaves.,, 

"  I  wonder  if  that  can  be  so/'  said  the  little 
boy,  thoughtfully.  "  Any  way,  I'm  glad  there 
is  fresh  fruit  every  month  in  the  year ;  I  like 
bananas  so  much." 

They  reached  the  house  as  he  finished  speak- 
ing. The  planter  and  his  wife  w7ere  sitting 
alone  on  the  veranda.  Alila  was  disappointed 
in  not  seeing  their  little  daughter. 

While  the  hunter  was  attending  to  his  busi- 
ness with  the  planter,  the  boy's  bright  eyes 
noted  the  lady's  dress. 

cc  I  must  tell  mother  all  about  it,"  he  said 
to  himself.  cc  She  will  want  to  know.  My, 
what  a  long  train  she  wears  !  It  is  so  thin  and 
delicate  I  think  it  must  be  woven  of  pineapple 
fibre.    What  beautiful  bright  colours  it  has  ! 


44    Our  Little  Philippine  Cousin 

"  And  how  stiff  her  kerchief  is  !  It  stands 
up  so  high  at  the  back  of  her  neck  I  should 
think  it  would  feel  very  uncomfortable.  Her 
chemisette  is  very  pretty,  my  mother  would 
think.  What  wide  sleeves  !  Still  they  are 
short,  so  she  can  keep  cool." 

But  the  jewels  !  Alila  had  never  seen  so 
many  before.  The  lady  fairly  sparkled,  with 
her  gold  earrings  and  bracelets,  set  with  pre- 
cious stones.  Surely  there  was  going  to  be  a 
party  at  the  big  house,  or  she  would  not  be 
dressed  so  finely. 

Just  as  the  boy  was  thinking  this,  the  plant- 
er's wife  turned  her  head  toward  him  and 
spoke. 

"  Alila,  is  it  not  time  to  tap  the  cocoanut- 
trees  ?  Tell  your  father  I  want  some  tuba  as 
soon  as  possible.  You  are  now  such  a  big  boy, 
I  suppose  you  will  be  able  to  help  him  get  it." 

The  little  fellow  made  a  low  bow  and  an- 
swered that  his  father  had  spoken  about  it  that 


The  Rich  Man's  Home  45 

very  morning  and  had  promised  that  he  should 
help  him.  Perhaps  you  remember  that  when 
Alila  was  christened  there  was  a  good  supply 
of  tuba  at  the  feast.  Did  you  wonder  what 
it  could  be  ? 

On  the  sugar  farm  there  is  a  clump  of  cocoa- 
nut-trees  on  which  no  fruit  ever  grows.  Why 
is  this  ?  Because  all  the  sap  which  would  be 
used  by  Mother  Nature  in  making  blossoms 
and  changing  these  into  cocoanuts  is  used  for 
another  purpose.  It  is  drawn  from  the  tree 
at  a  certain  time  of  the  year  to  make  a  drink 
much  loved  by  the  natives. 

Tapping  the  trees  for  tuba  is  dangerous 
work;  but  Alila,  you  know,  loves  danger.  He 
went  home  from  the  planter's  mansion  very 
happy,  for  now  he  should  have  an  errand 
there  every  day  during  the  next  few  weeks. 
For  must  he  not  bring  the  family  a  fresh 
bamboo  of  tuba  each  night  and  morning? 


CHAPTER  VIII. 


TAPPING  FOR  TUBA. 

Alila  was  wide  awake  before  sunrise  of  the 
next  day.  He  did  not  lie  on  his  mat  lazily 
watching  to  see  if  a  lizard  or  newt  should  creep 
out  of  a  corner,  as  he  often  did  on  other  morn- 
ings. It  was  only  the  day  before  that  he  pulled 
a  newt  by  its  tail  just  to  see  if  the  tail  would 
really  come  off  in  his  hand.  It  did,  for  a  fact ! 
and  away  Mr.  Newt  scuttled  without  any  tail. 

Wasn't  it  a  little  cruel  and  ungrateful  in 
Alila,  when  he  knew  how  much  the  newts  as 
well  as  the  lizards  do  to  let  him  sleep  com- 
fortably ?  They  destroy  ants  and  spiders  and 
other  creeping  things,  so  that  Alila's  mother 
never  kills  them  nor  drives  them  away. 

Neither  did  Alila  stop  to  play  with  his  pet 
46 


Tapping  for  Tuba  47 

cat  this  morning  —  such  an  odd  cat,  too,  with 
a  queer  little  twist  in  her  tail  like  that  of  a 
pug  dog.  Alila  was  dressed  before  his  father 
waked. 

While  waiting,  he  went  out  into  the  yard 
to  sharpen  his  knife.  But  he  had  no  whet- 
stone. There  are  more  ways  than  one  of 
doing  things,  we  have  already  discovered. 
The  boy  took  a  piece  of  wood  and  covered 
it  with  a  paste  made  of  ashes  and  oil.  Then 
he  rubbed  the  blade  of  his  knife  back  and 
forth  over  this  till  the  edge  was  sharp  enough 
to  split  a  hair  with  ease. 

Next  he  got  together  some  vessels  of  bam- 
boo and  two  long  bamboo  rods.  He  was  just 
a  little  bit  nervous,  although  it  was  not  in  his 
nature  to  be  easily  excited.  He  said  to 
himself : 

"  Oh,  dear,  I  hope  I  shall  not  have  to  wait 
much  longer." 

At  this  very  moment  he  looked  up  and 


48    Our  Little  Philippine  Cousin 

there  was  his  kind,  quiet  father  standing  in 
the  doorway. 

"  All  ready ! "  And  the  two  started  for 
the  cocoanut  grove  not  far  away. 

As  soon  as  they  reached  the  place,  Alila 
took  out  his  sharp  knife.  Work  began  at 
once,  for  notches  must  be  cut  in  the  tree,  one 
above  another,  in  which  to  place  his  toes.  As 
one  notch  was  made,  the  boy  drew  himself 
high  enough  to  get  a  foothold  in  it ;  then, 
reaching  up,  he  cut  the  next  one  and  drew 
himself  up  to  that,  and  so  on  until  he  had 
reached  the  top,  fully  sixty  feet  above  the 
ground.  A  cocoanut-tree,  as  you  probably 
remember,  has  no  branches  whatever  to  give 
any  help  to  a  person  in  climbing. 

And  now  Alila  came  down  again.  He  did 
it  so  easily  and  gracefully,  it  was  a  pleasure 
to  watch  him.  As  soon  as  he  was  within 
reach,  his  father  handed  him  vessels  of  bam- 
boo, which  the  boy  fastened  to  his  waist  and 


"  HE    WAS    AS  NIMBLE 


AS  A 


SQUIRREL  " 


Tapping  for  Tuba  49 

again  climbed  the  tree.  One  might  almost 
say  he  was  as  nimble  as  a  squirrel,  yet  that 
does  not  express  the  long,  graceful  movements 
of  his  body  as  he  rose  far  from  the  ground. 

When  he  was  once  more  at  the  top  of  the 
tree,  he  made  deep  cuts  in  the  trunk  directly 
under  the  great  tuft  of  leaves,  and  hung  his 
bamboo  vessels  so  the  sap  could  flow  into 
them. 

Now  for  the  same  work  in  the  next  tree. 
Do  you  think  he  must  go  down  to  the  ground 
again  and  go  through  all  the  work  he  had  in 
climbing  the  first  tree  ?  Not  at  all.  His 
father  reached  up  to  him  two  long  bamboo 
rods.  He  took  the  first  one  and  stretched  it 
across  to  the  next  tree.  This  would  serve  as 
a  bridge  over  which  he  could  walk.  The 
second  one  was  placed  above  the  first  and 
would  make  a  good  hand-rail. 

Alila  did  not  think  of  the  danger  of  a  walk 
in  mid-air  on  such  a  slender  support.  His 


50    Our  Little  Philippine  Cousin 

head  was  cool,  his  feet  were  firm,  his  body 
light,  and  he  passed  from  one  tree  to  another 
in  perfect  safety.  He  was  happy  as  a  king  to 
be  trusted  by  his  father  to  take  such  a  risk. 

Think  of  a  fall  from  a  height  like  that ! 
Suppose  for  one  instant  that  the  bamboo 
should  give  way  under  the  boy's  feet  or  failed 
to  hold  in  the  tree-top  !  That  would  have 
ended  our  little  Alila's  life  in  a  moment,  or  at 
least  made  aim  a  cripple  for  the  rest  of  his 
days. 

The  fact  is,  however,  that  the  boy  had  no 
accident,  and  every  day  afterward,  as  long  as 
the  sap  continued  to  flow,  he  went  out  to  the 
cocoanut  grove,  collected  the  tuba,  and  carried 
a  good  supply  of  it  to  the  planter's  mansion. 


CHAPTER  IX. 


FOREST   AND  STREAM. 

There  is  another  cocoanut  grove  on  the 
farm,  beside  the  one  where  Alila  gets  the  tuba. 
The  fruit  is  allowed  to  ripen  on  these  trees, 
and  it  is  the  boy's  duty  to  gather  it.  There  is 
a  new  growth  of  cocoanuts  three  times  a  year. 

Alila  does  not  need  to  climb  the  trees  for 
them  unless  he  wishes.  He  usually  fastens  a 
sickle-shaped  knife  to  the  end  of  a  long  pole. 
In  this  way  he  can  reach  up  to  the  tops  of 
the  tallest  trees  and  cut  off  the  cocoanuts ; 
when  thud  !  thud  !  down  they  fall  to  the 
ground,  safe  and  sound.  For  the  delicious 
pulp  is  not  only  shut  up  in  the  hard  shell  that 
we  know,  but  this  also  is  enclosed  in  a  still 
larger  and  thicker  covering. 

51 


52    Our  Little  Philippine  Cousin 

How  could  the  natives  of  tropic  lands  get 
along  without  this  valuable  tree  ?  It  has  so 
many  uses  it  would  take  a  long  time  even  to 
mention  them  all. 

Its  roots  are  good  to  cure  Alila  when  he  is 
seized  by  an  attack  of  fever  during  the  wet 
season.  His  mother  believes  that  his  life  has 
been  spared  through  the  use  of  this  medicine. 
Alila's  father  made  his  canoe  from  the  trunk 
of  a  cocoanut-tree ;  while  much  of  the  furni- 
ture in  his  employer's  mansion  has  been  carved 
from  its  beautiful  wood.  The  boy's  mother 
uses  a  comb  made  from  the  stalks  of  cocoa- 
nut  leaves.  The  husks  which  enclose  the 
fruit  are  made  into  coir,  out  of  which  are 
made  ropes,  brooms,  brushes,  and  even  bed- 
ding. 

When  Alila  was  only  five  or  six  years  old 
he  learned  to  weave  baskets  and  mats  from  the 
leaves,  and  he  knows  how  to  thatch  a  roof 
with  them  very  neatly. 


Forest  and  Stream  53 

What  is  so  delicious  on  a  hot  day  as  a  drink 
of  fresh  cocoanut  milk  !  It  is  never  hurtful 
and  quenches  the  thirst  as  well  as  the  coldest 
water.  The  oil  obtained  from  the  nuts  is  used 
by  Alila's  mother  in  her  cooking. 

But  she  also  needs  it  for  another  purpose. 
She  is  always  in  fear  of  an  earthquake,  and  feels 
safer  to  have  a  light  burning  in  readiness  all 
night  long.  She  keeps  in  the  cabin  a  small 
vessel  half-full  of  water.  Cocoanut  oil  is 
poured  on  the  water  and  a  wick  made  of  a  cer- 
tain kind  of  pith  called  tinsin  hangs  down  in 
the  middle  of  this  odd  lamp.  The  Chinese 
taught  the  Tagals  the  value  of  tinsin.  There 
is  scarcely  to  be  found  a  native  hut  where  it  is 
not  used  for  lamp  wicks. 

But  you  must  be  tired  of  hearing  about 
cocoanuts  and  their  uses,  so  we  will  return  to 
Alila  and  his  strange  adventures.  One  day 
not  long  ago  his  mother  said  to  him  : 

u  My  child,  I  should  like  some  fish  for 


54    Our  Little  Philippine  Cousin 

dinner.  Will  you  go  to  the  river  and  get 
some  ?  " 

Alila  has  great  success  in  fishing.  He  started 
off  at  once  on  his  errand.  He  did  not  stop  to 
get  hook  and  line,  as  you  would  have  done  ; 
he  knew  another  way  to  fish,  different  from 
any  we  have  in  our  country. 

When  he  got  to  the  river  he  walked  along 
by  its  side  till  he  found  a  place  where  the 
water  ran  very  deep.  Then  he  took  off  his 
clothing,  and  lay  quietly  down  on  the  bank. 
His  eyes  were  wide  open  and  watchful,  though 
his  body  was  so  still.  He  soon  saw  some  fish 
rise  near  the  surface  of  the  water.  Quick  as 
a  flash  he  jumped  in  and  dived  down,  down 
under  where  the  fish  were  darting.  Rising 
as  suddenly  as  he  had  dived,  he  came  to  the 
surface  with  a  fish  in  each  hand. 

He  is  such  a  nimble  little  fellow  that  he  did 
this  several  times,  and  hardly  ever  failed.  It 
was  not  long  before  he  had  a  fine  string  of 


Forest  and  Stream  55 

fish  to  carry  home.  As  he  walked  back, 
he  stopped  to  gather  some  green  bamboos 
of  medium  size,  for  he  knew  they  would  be 
needed  in  cooking  the  dinner. 

While  his  mother  was  cleaning  the  fish, 
Alila  made  a  fire  and  cut  the  bamboos  at 
every  joint.  They  were  changed  at  once  into 
baking  pans,  each  one  large  enough  to  slip 
a  fish  inside,  together  with  a  little  water  and 
some  spices.  The  ends  were  stopped  up,  and 
the  bamboos  laid  in  the  fire.  As  soon  as  they 
began  to  burn,  it  was  a  sign  that  the  fish  inside 
were  cooked  enough. 

What  a  good  dinner  it  was  !  You  would 
have  thought  so  if  you  could  have  tasted  the 
rice  steamed  in  the  same  way  as  the  delicate 
fish  and  served  on  plantain  leaves. 

Alila  has  still  another  way  of  fishing  which 
is  not  as  hard  work  as  diving,  though,  after 
all,  it  is  not  much  fun.  He  carries  a  bamboo 
basket  in  which  he  has  put  a  mixture  contain- 


56    Our  Little  Philippine  Cousin 

ing  a  curious  kind  of  poison.  He  sets  it  float- 
ing on  the  water.  When  the  fish  come  near 
it  the  poison  makes  them  stupid,  and  they  rise 
and  float  motionless  on  the  surface,  as  though 
they  were  dead.  Then  it  is  an  easy  matter  for 
Alila  to  get  them. 


CHAPTER  X. 


A   SWARM   OF  LOCUSTS. 

The  little  brown  boy  has  lived,  as  you 
know,  on  a  sugar  plantation,  where  the  cane 
ripens  only  once  a  year.  You  also  remember 
that  last  summer  a  hurricane  destroyed  the 
boy's  home,  and  a  new  one  had  to  be  built. 
The  sugar  crop  barely  escaped  ruin,  when, 
alas  !  another  danger  came  to  it,  more  fearful 
even  than  the  great  wind.  It  was  a  storm  of 
locusts, 

Alila  was  working  in  the  cane-fields  with  his 
loved  buffalo  one  morning,  when,  looking  up 
suddenly,  he  saw  something  which  frightened 
him.  It  was  a  long  distance  away,  far  as  his 
eyes  could  see,  and  it  appeared  like  a  dark 
cloud  near  the  earth. 

57 


58    Our  Little  Philippine  Cousin 

The  boy  was  frightened,  as  I  have  said,  but 
it  was  not  for  himself.  It  was  on  account  of 
the  danger  threatening  the  plantation ;  he 
knew  very  well  that  what  seemed  like  a  cloud 
was  composed  of  millions  and  millions  of 
locusts.  Unless  something  were  done  at  once, 
all  the  sugar-cane  would  be  ruined.  For,  if 
that  army  of  insects,  perfectly  harmless  to 
animals,  should  settle  down  upon  the  canes, 
the  leaves  would  be  entirely  eaten  in  a  few 
hours. 

Alila  ran  as  fast  as  his  legs  could  carry  him 
from  one  part  of  the  plantation  to  another, 
and  gave  the  alarm  to  the  working  people 
as  he  passed  along. 

It  was  wonderful  how  quickly  men,  women, 
and  children  armed  themselves  to  meet  the 
coming  enemy.  All  the  bamboo  clappers, 
cocoanut  shells,  tin  pans,  and  red  flags  that 
could  be  found  were  seized  and  put  into  use. 

Then  such  a  din  and  commotion  you  never 


A  Swarm  of  Locusts  59 

heard  nor  saw,  even  on  the  glorious  Fourth 
of  July.  Locusts  are  very  sensitive  to  noise, 
so  between  the  beating  of  drums  and  clappers, 
the  waving  of  the  red  flags,  and  the  smoke 
from  fires  of  wet  wood  at  the  sides  of  the 
fields,  the  greater  part  of  the  army  passed  on. 
The  people  breathed  again,  since  the  danger 
was  over  for  the  present. 

When  it  was  all  over  Alila  was  not  too  tired 
to  play  for  awhile  with  a  few  locusts  he  had 
caught  in  a  net.  Their  bodies  looked  like 
those  of  large  grasshoppers,  except  that  they 
were  of  a  brownish  colour. 

They  would  not  sting  or  bite,  and  the  boy 
kept  his  new  pets  as  long  as  they  lived.  That 
was  only  a  few  days,  however,  as  a  locust  has 
a  very  short  life.  It  is  said  that  food  passes 
through  its  body  as  fast  as  it  is  eaten,  so  it  is 
not  nourished,  and  soon  dies  for  this  reason. 
It  also  has  an  enemy,  a  small  worm  that  forms 
in  its  body  and  gradually  eats  it  up. 


60    Our  Little  Philippine  Cousin 

The  mother  locust  has  a  queer  way  of  mak- 
ing a  nest  for  her  eggs.  She  extends  the  end 
of  her  body  till  it  is  like  an  auger,  and  with 
this  she  bores  a  deep  hole  in  the  earth.  She 
chooses  spots  near  fields  of  ripening  rice  or 
sugar  cane,  so  the  young  locusts,  as  they  hatch 
out,  will  be  near  a  good  supply  of  food  ;  for  at 
first  they  have  no  wings  and  cannot  go  in 
search  of  it. 

After  the  visit  of  the  locusts,  Alila  went 
carefully  around  the  edges  of  the  fields  with 
the  other  workmen.  They  wished  to  see  if 
any  signs  of  young  locusts  could  be  found. 
But  they  found  none  and  felt  that  the  crops 
were  free  from  danger  for  this  year,  at  least. 
But  Alila's  father  said  to  himself : 

cc  How  many  risks  there  are  in  working  on 
a  sugar  plantation !  I  have  been  here  now 
many  years.  I  never  know  whether  the  crop 
will  be  a  failure  or  not.  I  believe  I  will  go 
somewhere  else.    Up  on  the  side  of  the  moun- 


A  Swarm  of  Locusts  61 


tain,  not  far  from  here,  is  a  large  hemp  planta- 
tion ;  I  will  seek  work  there.  Besides,  there 
is  fine  hunting  near  by  and  Alila  can  see  new 
sights." 

When  he  told  his  family,  they  were  all 
pleased,  for  Tagals  dearly  love  a  change  and 
often  move  from  place  to  place  merely  for  the 
sake  of  change.  Alila  was  the  most  delighted 
of  all.    He  said  : 

"  Now,  father,  I  can  hunt  with  you  and  go 
bat  shooting  in  the  deep  forests.  You  know 
I  can  sell  their  beautiful  soft  skins  to  travel- 
ers. 

Alila's  grandmother  and  mother  were 
pleased,  too.  They  liked  the  idea  because 
the  hemp  is  gathered  throughout  the  year  and 
can  be  sold  from  time  to  time,  whenever  there 
is  need  of  money.  But  when  the  women 
thought  of  the  bands  of  brigands  who  hide  in 
the  mountain  passes,  they  began  to  fear. 

Many  were  the  stories  they  had  heard  of 


62    Our  Little  Philippine  Cousin 

these  robbers  and  their  sudden  attacks  in  the 
night-time  on  people  in  lonely  houses. 

"  You  need  not  worry/'  said  Alila's  father, 
"  for  these  wild  robbers  seldom  harm  poor 
people ;  and  they  never  kill  unless  they  are 
obliged  to  do  so.  I  believe  they  are  not  as 
terrible  as  they  are  often  described." 


CHAPTER  XL 


THE   NEW  HOME. 

So  it  came  to  pass  that  Alila  went  to  a  new 
home.  It  was  not  hard  work  to  get  ready,  for 
there  was  little  to  move.  The  old  buffalo  that 
had  grown  up  with  his  young  master  was  able 
to  carry  on  his  broad  back  everything  owned 
by  the  entire  family.  He  could  easily  have 
taken  more,  too  ! 

The  women  rode  on  ponies  and  the  men 
walked  beside  the  buffalo.  No  one  seemed  to 
feel  sad,  although  it  had  been  an  easy,  happy 
life  on  the  little  farm  and  the  sugar  planter  had 
always  been  kind. 

Their  fellow  workmen  were  Tagals  like 
themselves ;  they  would  find  many  Chinese 
labourers  on  the  hemp  plantation,  at  least  they 

63 


64    Our  Little  Philippine  Cousin 

had  been  told  so.  But  they  did  not  care  for 
that. 

There  are  many  Chinamen  in  the  Philippines, 
and  they  agree  very  well  with  their  Tagal 
neighbours  and  the  people  of  the  many  other 
tribes.  Alila  has  a  cousin  married  to  a 
Chinese  merchant  in  Manila  and  some  time 
he  is  going  to  visit  her. 

As  they  journeyed  onward  they  passed  a 
party  of  Americans.    Alila's  mother  called  : 

"  Come  nearer  to  me,  my  child.  Stay  by 
my  side." 

She  had  a  fear  of  white  faces  of  which  she 
could  not  rid  herself.  The  Spaniards  had  been 
cruel  to  her  people,  she  well  knew,  And  now 
that  these  others  from  far-away  lands  had  taken 
the  power  from  the  Spaniards,  she  felt  that 
they,  too,  would  be  hard  and  unkind. 

Poor  ignorant  mother !  She  did  not  under- 
stand that  it  meant  such  different  things, — 
schools  for  all  children  instead  of  a  very  few ; 


The  New  Home  65 

work  for  any  one  who  desired  it ;  better  care 
for  the  sick  in  the  cities ;  fewer  taxes  for  all. 
Yes,  all  these  and  many  other  good  things 
would  be  done  by  the  Americans  to  make 
Alila  and  Alila' s  children  live  more  wisely  and 
therefore  more  happily. 

When  the  sun  was  setting  that  night,  the 
hemp  plantation  could  be  plainly  seen.  It 
was  a  beautiful  sight,  those  rows  of  small  trees 
with  their  large,  glossy  leaves,  shut  in  by 
woods  of  a  larger  growth. 

The  plant  from  which  is  made  what  is  called 
Manila  hemp  belongs  to  the  same  family  as 
the  banana  and  the  plantain.  The  leaves  all 
of  them  look  so  much  alike  it  would  be  hard 
for  us  to  tell  the  difference. 

It  did  not  take  many  days  to  get  settled. 
The  neighbours  were  very  kind  and  gave  the 
family  shelter  and  food  until  Alila  and  his 
father  had  finished  building  a  cabin.  This 
time  they  made  the  roof  as  well  as  the  sides  of 


66    Our  Little  Philippine  Cousin 

the  hut  of  split  bamboo,  and  the  boy's  mother 
and  grandmother  helped  in  preparing  it. 

Alila  had  never  before  seen  hemp  gathered, 
and  he  had  much  to  learn.  He  was  soon  very 
quick  in  separating  the  fibres  from  the  pulp 
and  spreading  them  out  to  dry  before  packing. 

The  boy  sometimes  wonders  what  journeys 
the  bales  of  hemp  will  take  To  what  coun- 
tries will  they  sail  ?  To  what  uses  will  they  be 
put  ?  His  father  has  told  him  that  nothing 
else  in  his  island  home  is  shipped  in  such 
quantities  as  Manila  hemp.  It  makes  stout 
cordage  and  sail-cloth  ;  it  is  woven  into  mats, 
carpets,  and  hammocks  ;  while  the  finest  hemp 
is  made  into  delicate  dress  goods  for  the  rich 
ladies  of  the  island. 

Yes,  people  all  over  the  world  have  heard 
of  Manila  hemp,  and  when  he  is  older,  Alila 
says  he  will  bear  it  company  and  seek  strange 
sights  across  the  oceans. 

He  had  lived  in  his  new  home  but  a  short 


The  New  Home  67 

time  when  he  had  an  exciting  adventure.  Not 
far  from  the  farm  there  is  a  dense  forest.  One 
night  Alila's  father  said  to  his  friends  ; 

"  Let  us  go  on  a  hunt  for  wild  boars. 
There  must  be  plenty  of  boars  and  deer,  too5 
in  those  woods." 

The  other  men  were  ready  for  a  little  sport. 
They  had  been  hunting  in  the  forest  many 
times  before,  and  knew  the  best  course  to  take. 

"  May  I  go  with  you,  too  :  "  whispered 
Alila,  who  was  listening  at  his  father's  side. 

When  all  agreed  that  it  would  make  no 
trouble  to  allow  the  boy  to  go  with  them,  since 
he  was  brave  and  strong,  he  was  greatly  pleased. 
They  would  be  gone  several  days.  What  new, 
strange  creatures  should  he  see  r  What  dangers 
should  he  meet  ? 


CHAPTER  XII. 


IN  THE  FOREST. 

The  party  started  out  early  the  next  morn- 
ing. They  carried  very  little  food  with  them  ; 
it  would  only  be  in  their  way  when  hunting, 
and  they  trusted  Mother  Nature  would  supply 
what  they  needed  as  they  went  along.  Two 
of  the  men  had  guns ;  the  others  carried  bows 
and  arrows.  Every  one  was  also  supplied  with 
a  sharp  spear  and  knife. 

The  first  day  was  very  quiet.    Nothing  was 

shot  but  a  few  birds  and  bats.    When  night 

came  they  found   themselves  far  from  any 

stream ;  all  were  thirsty  and  there  was  no 

water.    What  should  they  do  ?    Ah  !  in  plain 

sight  was  a  liana.    It  is  called  the  "travellers' 

68 


In  the  Forest  69 

drink  M  because  any  one,  on  breaking  off  a 
stalk,  can  obtain  a  cool  draught.  How  refresh- 
ing it  was  ! 

A  fire  was  quickly  made  and  the  birds 
cooked  for  supper.  They  all  lay  down  to 
sleep.  But,  alas  !  that  was  not  an  easv  thing 
to  get.  They  had  no  sooner  stretched  them- 
selves by  the  fire  than  they  were  attacked.  Bv 
wild  animals,  you  think  at  once.  By  no  means. 
It  was  a  small  enemy,  fierce  for  their  blood, 
which  darted  out  from  the  grass  and  fastened 
upon  their  bodies. 

Multitudes  of  leeches  have  their  home  in 
the  mountain  forests  of  the  Philippines,  and 
everv  native  who  travels  there  is  armed  with  a 
small  rattan  knife  to  cut  them  off  as  they  seize 
upon  him. 

Alila's  party  knew  that  sleep  was  out  of  the 
question  for  this  night.  As  fast  as  our  little 
brown  brother  was  able  to  cut  off  one  of  the 
bloodthirsty  creatures,  another  took  its  place, 


70   Our  Little  Philippine  Cousin 

till  at  last  the  daylight  came  and  the  hunters 
could  go  on  their  way. 

But  what  a  wretched  sight  they  were ! 
Blood  streamed  from  their  arms  and  legs, 
and  they  looked  like  the  wounded  survivors 
of  a  terrible  battle.  When  they  came  to  a 
spring  of  water,  they  were  glad  enough  to 
have  a  chance  to  bathe. 

Alila  can  tell  you  that  was  the  worst  night 
he  ever  passed  in  his  life,  yet  he  hardly  spoke 
a  word  of  complaint  through  the  long  hours, 
and  in  the  morning  laughed  gaily  with  his 
friends  when  they  gazed  at  each  other's  sorry- 
looking  faces. 

Small  creatures  can  make  themselves  as 
troublesome  as  big  ones.  Perhaps  you  have 
already  found  this  out  when  mosquitoes  have 
found  their  way  to  your  bedside  and  waked 
you  in  the  middle  of  the  night. 

After  a  hasty  breakfast,  the  hunters  were 
ready  for  a  tramp,  and  they  soon  found  the 


In  the  Forest  71 

tracks  of  wild  boars.  It  was  not  long  till  they 
had  killed  three  of  them  with  little  trouble. 
They  were  about  to  make  a  fire  and  roast 
some  of  the  flesh  for  dinner,  when  a  pitiful 
cry  was  heard. 

How  it  rang  out  through  the  forest !  It 
sounded  almost  human.  What  could  it  be  P 
Alila's  father  jumped  up  and  crept  through 
the  woods  in  the  direction  of  the  sound.  His 
boy  followed  close  at  his  heels.  They  had 
gone  but  a  short  distance  when  a  strange  sight 
met  their  eyes.  High  up  on  the  branch  of  a 
tree  lay  a  huge  boa-constrictor.  He  must  have 
been  a  hundred  years  old,  he  was  so  large. 

His  eyes  were  fastened  upon  a  poor  little 
deer  in  the  coil  of  his  tail,  which  he  had 
stretched  down  to  trap  his  prey  as  it  walked 
along.  Ah !  the  deer's  eyes  close  and  the 
piteous  cry  stops  as  he  is  clasped  more  and 
more  tightly  in  the  clutch  of  the  boa.  And 
now  the  serpent  raises  him  from  the  ground, 


72    Our  Little  Philippine  Cousin 

and  swings  him  against  the  trunk  of  the  tree ; 
he  is  thrown  with  such  force  he  is  instantly- 
killed. 

But  what  were  Alila  and  his  father  doing  all 
this  time?  They  were  too  late  to  save  the 
deer,  but  the  boa  did  not  escape.  As  he  was 
about  to  descend  the  tree  to  feed  upon  his 
victim,  his  wicked  eyes  saw  the  hunters  for 
the  first  time.  Out  darted  his  forked  tongue 
in  anger,  just  as  two  arrows  entered  his  body 
and  ended  his  life.  The  rest  of  the  party 
came  up  at  this  moment  and  helped  cut  away 
the  skin  of  the  boa.  It  would  be  useful  for 
making  dagger  sheaths. 

Now  indeed  they  would  have  a  grand  feast, 
for  they  could  add  the  flesh  of  the  deer  and 
boa  to  what  they  had  already  obtained. 


CHAPTER  XIII. 


CROCODILES. 

When  dinner  was  over,  they  began  to  look 
around  their  stopping-place.  They  found  they 
were  close  to  a  deep  river.  Should  they  swim 
across  it,  or  turn  homeward  ? 

"  You  must  not  try  to  cross  without  a  boat," 
said  one  of  the  men  to  Alila's  father.  cc  Croco- 
diles make  their  home  in  these  waters.  It  is 
possible  we  may  not  see  any  from  this  shore, 
but  at  the  same  time,  if  you  should  try  to 
swim  to  the  other  side,  you  might  be  attacked 
suddenly,  and  be  unable  to  escape.  I  know 
one  poor  fellow  who  lost  his  life  in  this  very 
place. 

"  Still,  if  you  wish  for  more  sport,  I  will  tell 

73 


74    Our  Little  Philippine  Cousin 

you  what  to  do.  Let  us  all  watch  on  the 
shore  here  for  signs  of  crocodiles.  We  are  in 
no  hurry.  Have  your  guns  and  arrows  ready 
to  help  if  one  of  the  creatures  should  appear. 
I  will  dive  into  the  river  and  attack  him  with 
my  spear." 

It  was  a  daring  thing  to  think  of.  As  every 
one  knew,  there  is  only  one  place  in  the  ani- 
mal's body  that  can  be  pierced.  That  is 
directly  under  the  fore  legs.  Even  bullets 
will  fly  off  from  any  other  part  of  the  scaly 
covering  as  though  they  had  struck  against  a 
stone  wall. 

If  the  hunter  venture  to  come  close  to 
such  a  monster,  and  his  dagger  fail  to  pierce 
the  vital  spot,  there  is  no  help  for  him.  The 
great  jaws  will  close  upon  him  instantly,  and 
he  will  never  be  seen  again. 

But  the  quiet  Tagals  seem  to  love  danger, 
and  no  one  tried  to  discourage  the  hunter. 
They  walked  quietly  along  the  river's  side  for 


Crocodiles  75 

two  hours,  at  least ;  they  were  about  to  turn 
when  Alila  cried: 

"  There  he  is,  close  to  the  bamboo  thicket 
on  the  shore." 

As  they  looked  toward  the  spot,  the  fearful 
head  and  jaws  of  a  crocodile  could  be  seen 
reaching  up  out  of  the  water. 

Ready  !  Down  dived  the  hunter,  spear  in 
hand.  The  attack  was  sudden  and  successful. 
The  spear  reached  the  one  place  it  could  enter, 
and  stuck  fast.  The  diver  did  not  stop  a  mo- 
ment longer,  but  swam  back  to  the  shore  to 
his  waiting  friends.  The  surface  of  the  river 
was  instantly  streaked  with  blood  as  the  croco- 
dile plunged  through  the  water  in  his  death 
agony. 

The  men  waited  till  the  great  body  of  the 
monster  became  still  and  quiet.  Then  with 
the  aid  of  rattan  nooses  they  drew  it  up  on  the 
shore,  and  with  their  sharp  knives  proceeded 
to  strip  away  the  skin. 


76    Our  Little  Philippine  Cousin 

<c  It  is  a  good  medicine  for  rheumatism.  I 
know  it  will  cure  the  bad  pains  from  which  my 
mother  suffers,"  said  Alila's  father. 

"  And  I  will  take  some  of  the  flesh  and  dry- 
it  as  a  cure  for  asthma,"  said  another  of  the 
party.  "  I  know  a  man  who  suffers  very 
much  from  the  trouble.  He  will  be  glad  to 
be  able  to  breathe  easily  once  more.,, 

It  was  now  near  night  and  too  late  to  think 
of  starting  home.  They  must  camp  out  once 
more.  Every  one  hoped  to  be  free  from  the 
persistent  leeches  this  time.  They  made  a  lire 
and  stretched  themselves  beside  it. 


CHAPTER  XIV. 


tonda's  story. 

Cf  Tonda,  do  tell  us  some  of  your  adven- 
tures," begged  Alila.  "You  have  travelled  so 
far  and  seen  such  wonderful  things  !  Father 
says  you  have  even  been  to  the  great  city  of 
Manila.    I  wonder  what  a  city  can  be  like." 

Tonda  had  certainly  seen  more  of  the  world 
than  any  one  Alila  knew,  and  he  was  always 
proud  and  glad  to  show  his  knowledge.  So, 
although  he  was  tired  and  sleepy  from  the  ex- 
citement of  the  day,  he  began  to  tell  of  his 
visit  to  Manila  when  a  young  man. 

"  Oh,  a  city  is  indeed  a  wonderful  place, 
Alila ;  I  believe  you  would  be  almost  fright- 
ened, at  first,  at  the  queer  noises  you  would 
hear. 

77 


78    Our  Little  Philippine  Cousin 

"  What  would  you  think  of  long,  heavy  cars 
rushing  along  through  the  streets  with  no  buf- 
faloes to  draw  them  and  a  single  pony  in  their 
place  ?  These  cars  run  along  on  tracks 
through  streets  in  which  round  stones  are  set 
in,  side  by  side. 

"  There  are  great  buildings  divided  by  walls 
into  many  different  rooms.  Around  one  part 
of  the  city  there  is  a  strong  wall  which  was  built 
long,  long  ago,  I  was  told.  Behind  those  walls 
the  people  used  to  fight  against  their  enemies 
and  were  safe. 

"  There  is  a  river  running  right  through  the 
city,  and  upon  it  many  kinds  of  boats  sail  at 
every  hour  of  the  day  and  night.  While  I 
was  there,  the  Chinese  had  a  grand  festival. 
Great  ships  like  floating  palaces  rode  up  and 
down  the  river.  At  night  they  were  lighted 
up  from  topmast  to  stern.  Bands  of  music 
kept  playing,  and  every  morning  the  Chinese 
who  rilled  the  vessels  threw  squares  of  col- 


"  e  AROUND    ONE    PART    OF    THE    CITY    THERE   IS    A  STRONG 
WALL  '  " 


Tonda's  Story  79 

oured  paper  over  the  sides  and  burned  incense 
in  honour  of  St.  Nicholas,  in  whose  memory 
they  held  the  festival. 

"  Why  was  St.  Nicholas  honoured  so  ? 
Because  in  far  distant  times  he  saved  the  life 
of  a  Chinaman  from  the  fury  of  a  crocodile. 

"  It  happened  in  this  way.  The  man  was 
sailing  on  the  river  in  a  small  canoe,  with  no 
thought  of  danger.  All  at  once,  a  crocodile 
appeared  close  to  the  boat,  capsized  it,  and 
with  open  jaws  was  ready  to  devour  the  man. 
It  was  a  fearful  moment,  but  the  Chinaman 
did  not  lose  hope.  He  lifted  up  his  voice  in 
prayer  to  St.  Nicholas,  and  begged  him  to 
save  his  life.  The  good  saint  appeared  before 
him,  and,  striking  the  crocodile  with  his  wand, 
changed  it  instantly  into  a  rock. 

cc  The  man  was  saved,  but  you  may  be  sure 
he  did  not  forget  the  wonderful  help  he  had 
received.  He  went  back  to  Manila,  and  with 
the  help  of  his  friends  built  a  chapel  in  honour 


8o    Our  Little  Philippine  Cousin 

of  the  saint.  Every  year  since  then  the  Chi- 
nese have  gathered  in  the  city  and  remembered 
the  day  when  their  countryman's  life  was 
saved.  They  hold  one  festival  after  another 
during  two  whole  weeks.  The  people  say 
that  the  city  is  always  a  gay  sight  at  such 
times." 

By  the  time  this  story  was  finished,  the 
company  gathered  around  the  fire  began  to 
nod  their  heads.  They  were  so  tired  from 
the  day's  hard  work  that  they  could  listen  no 
longer.  A  minute  afterward  Alila  was  sound 
asleep.  He  knew  nothing  more  till  the  sun- 
light fell  upon  him  the  next  morning. 

On  the  way  home  two  more  boars  and 
a  deer  were  shot  A  bamboo  hurdle  was 
quickly  made,  and  the  store  of  flesh  was 
placed  on  it  and  easily  carried  on  the  shoul- 
ders of  the  men. 


CHAPTER  XV. 


STRANGE  NEIGHBOURS. 

You  can  imagine  how  glad  Alila's  mother 
was  to  see  him  back  once  more,  safe  and 
sound.  She  kissed  him  tenderly  in  the  odd 
fashion  of  her  people.  When  he  had  told  her 
all  his  adventures,  he  said : 

"  Oh,  mother,  I  want   to   go   again.  I 

haven't  seen  half  of  the  strange  things  in 

those  forests.     And,  besides,  hunters  have 

told  me  of  queer  people  who  live  high  up 

in  the  mountains  beyond  us.    They  are  very 

wild,  and  have  such  strange  customs.    It  is 

said  that  they  lived  in  these  islands  before 

our  people  came  here,  hundreds  and  hundreds 

of  years  ago.    They  must  have  been  driven 

81 


82   Our  Little  Philippine  Cousin 

up  into  the  thick  forests  to  save  themselves 
from  being  captured. 

"The  men  call  them  Negritos.  They  are 
very  blacky  and  do  not  look  at  all  like  us. 
Their  hair  is  a  great  ball  of  curls.  They  do 
not  know  much  more  than  animals." 

€CYes,  my  child,  I  have  not  only  heard 
about  these  savages,  I  have  seen  one  of 
them,"  replied  his  mother.  "  Your  father 
has  been  among  them,  and  will  tell  you  about 
their  queer  ways  of  living.  They  have  no 
homes,  but  sleep  at  night  under  the  trees. 
If  you  heard  them  talking,  you  would  think 
at  first  it  was  the  chattering  of  monkeys. 
They  have  very  few  words  in  their  language. 

"  When  they  plant  their  gardens,  they  do 
not  plough  them  as  we  do.  They  only  scrape 
away  the  top  of  the  earth,  and  then  scatter 
their  seed.  They  do  not  even  clear  places 
in  the  forests." 

While  she  was  telling  Alila  these  things,  his 


Strange  Neighbours  83 

father  was  not  there.  As  soon  as  he  got  back 
from  the  hunt,  he  went  off  to  look  over  the 
farm  to  see  if  the  hemp  was  growing  well. 
When  he  returned  from  this  work  Alila  went 
up  to  him,  and  said  : 

"  Why  is  it,  father,  you  have  never  told  me 
about  the  Negritos  ?  I  never  even  heard  of 
them  till  I  went  on  the  hunt  with  you  and 
your  friends. " 

cc  I  knew  how  you  like  daring  deeds,  my 
boy,  and  felt  you  would  be  anxious  to  go 
among  these  savages  and  see  them  for  your- 
self. So  I  waited  till  you  should  be  older 
Now  you  have  shown  how  much  you  can 
bear,  I  will  take  you  into  strange  places,  and 
you  shall  see  things  for  yourself.  The  Negritos 
are  a  cowardly  race,  yet  they  are  dangerous ; 
they  always  use  poisoned  arrows,  and,  from 
their  safe  hiding-places  in  the  mountains,  often 
succeed  in  killing  any  people  who  dare  to  come 
near  them." 


84   Our  Little  Philippine  Cousin 

Then  he  told  Alila  how  the  Negrito  children 
are  taught  to  use  their  bows  and  arrows  when 
very  young.  They  learn  to  shoot  so  well 
they  can  hit  the  fish  swimming  in  the  water. 
They  seldom  fail  to  hit  what  they  aim  at. 

These  savages  live  mostly  on  roots  and 
fruits.  Still,  they  do  know  how  to  make 
a  fire  and  cook  some  of  their  game.  But  they 
have  no  dishes,  and  the  bird  or  animal  to  be 
eaten  is  thrown  among  the  embers  and  allowed 
to  stay  there  till  the  outside  is  burned  to  a 
crisp.  When  any  one  among  them  is  very 
ill,  they  do  not  wait  for  him  to  die,  but  bury 
him  alive. 

One  of  the  most  laughable  things  Alila's 
father  ever  saw  was  a  Negrito  wedding.  The 
young  bride  pretended  to  run  away  from  her 
future  husband.  After  he  had  caught  her, 
they  were  carried  up  a  bamboo  ladder  by  their 
friends,  and  sprinkled  with  water  out  of  a 
cocoanut  shell.    Then  they  came  down  and 


Strange  Neighbours  85 

knelt  on  the  ground,  and  an  old  man  touched 
their  heads  together.  That  made  them  man 
and  wife. 

Alila  was  much  interested,  and  begged  his 
father  to  tell  more  stories  of  the  Negritos  and 
other  savage  tribes  living  in  the  depths  of  the 
island  forests. 

He  listened  to  tales  of  the  Igorrotes,  who 
live  in  huts  like  beehives  and  creep  into  them 
like  insects.  They  are  people  whom  the  white 
men  have  tried  again  and  again  to  conquer  and 
to  teach  of  God,  but  they  prefer  to  go  naked 
and  lead  their  own  savage  life. 

And  then  his  father  described  to  him  some 
of  the  sights  he  had  seen.  He  told  him  of  a 
wonderful  cave  right  there  in  his  own  island 
of  Luzon.  It  was  equal  in  beauty  to  the  cave 
Aladdin  himself  had  entered. 

Wonderful  pendants  of  crystallised  lime 
reached  down  from  the  lofty  roof,  shining 
like  diamonds.    There  were  pillars   of  the 


86   Our  Little  Philippine  Cousin 

snowy  lime  a  hundred  feet  in  height,  glitter- 
ing in  dazzling  beauty.  There  were  spacious 
halls  leading  one  from  another  in  this  under- 
ground paiace.  It  was  a  dangerous  journey 
into  this  wonderful  cave,  but  sometime  Alila 
must  go  there,  his  father  said. 

He  should  visit  the  volcano  island,  too, — 
an  island  in  the  middle  of  a  lake,  from 
which  terrible  floods  of  lava  and  boiling  water 
have  poured  forth  many  times.  What  sorrow 
and  destruction  it  has  caused ! 

A  long,  long  time  ago,  the  boy's  father  can- 
not tell  how  many  years  have  passed,  there 
was  a  terrible  eruption.  It  lasted  for  many 
days.  There  were  quakings  of  the  earth  and 
horrible  sounds  under  ground.  The  air  was 
filled  with  darkness  save  for  flashes  of 
lightning.  Great  columns  of  mud  and  sand 
arose  from  out  the  lake.  Torrents  of  lava 
poured  over  the  sides  of  the  volcano  and  des- 
troyed whole  villages  on  the  shores  of  the  lake. 


Strange  Neighbours  87 

Ah  !  it  was  a  fearful  time  for  the  people,  and 
few  of  those  who  were  there  lived  to  tell  the 
story  to  their  children. 

Alila's  eyes  grew  larger  as  he  listened  to  the 
wonders  of  the  world  around  him.  Yes,  he 
would  travel  and  see  these  things  for  himself. 
He  was  growing  impatient.  He  could  not 
wait  much  longer,  for  now  he  was  nearly  a 
man  grown. 

Sometime,  let  us  hope,  we  shall  meet  our 
little  Alila.  We  will  ask  him  what  he  him- 
self has  learned  that  no  one  else  can  tell  us. 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

Tf HE  STOUT  -  HEARTED  SAILOR. 

Although  Alila  is  anxious  to  travel  and 
learn  more  of  this  great  round  world,  yet  his 
own  people  seldom  leave  their  island  home. 
Strange  to  say,  however,  white  travellers  from 
distant  lands  began  to  visit  these  shores  hun- 
dreds of  years  ago. 

The  first  one  to  do  this  was  a  brave  admiral 
named  Ferdinand  Magellan.  What  wonder- 
ful adventures  filled  the  life  of  this  man  !  It 
seems  almost  like  a  fairy  tale. 

After  Columbus  made  his  famous  voyages 

across  the  Atlantic  and  discovered  America, 

Magellan,  who  lived  in  Portugal,  was  much 

excited  over  the  news.    The  world  must  cer- 

88 


The  Stout -Hearted  Sailor  89 

tainly  be  round,  he  thought,  and  he  was  no 
longer  satisfied  to  explore  the  waters  near  his 
own  home.  He,  too,  wished  to  find  new  and 
distant  lands  ;  but  this  was  not  enough.  He 
felt  sure  he  could  discover  a  way  to  the  coun- 
tries of  the  East,  rich  in  silks,  spices,  and 
precious  gems,  by  sailing  west. 

The  King  of  Portugal  was  a  powerful  ruler 
and  anxious  for  new  possessions,  yet  he  did 
not  encourage  Magellan.  Instead  of  this,  he 
was  ordered  to  go  back  to  Africa  and  keep  on 
fighting  against  the  Moors,  for  he  had  already 
won  many  victories  there.  The  king  was 
even  stern  to  him  for  leaving  the  war  in 
Africa.  Why  had  he  returned  to  Portugal 
to  ask  for  other  work  than  what  had  been 
given  him  ? 

It  was  a  sad  disappointment,  and  Magellan 
turned  away  from  the  king's  presence  with  a 
bitter  heart.  It  was  almost  impossible  for 
him  to  keep  from  bursting  into  tears,  though 


90   Our  Little  Philippine  Cousin 

he  was  a  brave,  strong  man.  Just  as  he  was 
leaving  the  palace,  an  old  friend  stopped  him 
and  whispered : 

"  Why  do  you  not  go  to  the  King  of  Spain 
and  ask  his  help  ?  He  is  young,  to  be  sure, 
but  he  will  be  glad  to  get  the  services  of  a 
brave  man  from  any  country,  for  he  is  anxious 
to  gain  new  lands  and  greater  power." 

Magellan's  first  thought  was,  "  I  cannot 
leave  the  service  of  my  own  country  for  that 
of  another/ '  But  afterward  he  said  to  him- 
self, "  No,  I  am  not  right  in  working  for  one 
king  when  I  can  do  more  for  the  world  in 
serving  another.  I  feel  that  I  shall  do  much 
yet.  And  I  am  willing  to  dare  great  risks, 
and  give  my  life  even,  for  the  sake  of  what 
is  not  yet  known." 

He  went  to  Spain  and  offered  his  services 
to  King  Charles.  You  will  be  pleased  to 
know  that  this  king  was  the  grandson  of  the 
very  Isabella  who  so  nobly  helped  Columbus, 


The  Stout- Hearted  Sailor  91 

The  young  king  was  filled  with  the  spirit  of 
his  grandmother.    He  said  to  Magellan  : 

"  Your  plan  is  good ;  you  are  daring,  yet 
cautious ;  you  shall  have  ships  and  supplies. 
So  be  of  good  courage  and  prepare  for  your 
voyage." 

Magellan's  heart  bounded  with  joy.  He 
promised  the  king  that  wherever  he  should 
land  in  places  not  discovered  before,  there  he 
would  plant  the  flag  of  Spain.  He  also  vowed 
that  he  would  do  his  best  to  teach  the  Chris- 
tian religion  to  the  heathen  and  that  a  goodly 
company  of  priests  should  go  with  him  to 
baptise  all  who  were  willing. 

At  last  the  great  day  came  when  Magellan 
set  sail.  Shortly  before,  he  was  married  to 
one  whom  he  had  long  loved  and  whom,  alas  ! 
he  should  never  see  again  after  leaving  the 
shores  of  Spain.  He  and  his  fair  young  wife 
had  watched  the  building  and  repairing  of  the 
ships  which  were  to  sail  away  with  him  so 


92   Our  Little  Philippine  Cousin 

soon.  With  her  at  his  side,  he  had  studied 
the  rude  maps  of  the  Atlantic  Ocean  made  by 
earlier  voyagers,  and  the  instruments  which 
should  aid  him  in  managing  the  fleet. 

The  great  moment  arrived  at  last.  Amidst 
the  shouts  of  the  people,  the  peals  of  the  bells, 
and  the  roaring  of  the  cannon,  the  anchors 
were  lifted  and  the  fleet  sailed  into  the  West. 

Days  passed  quietly  by.  The  weather  was 
good,  and  Magellan,  now  Admiral  Magellan, 
watched  constantly  for  land.  Many  wonder- 
ful things  were  seen  by  the  sailors  as  they 
crossed  the  broad  Atlantic.  There  were  shoals 
of  flying-fish,  strange  and  interesting  birds, 
besides  immense  sharks  that  followed  the  ships 
for  days  at  a  time. 

After  a  voyage  of  over  two  months,  the 
coast  of  South  America  came  in  sight.  The 
fleet  stopped  at  different  places  ;  at  one  time 
finding  themselves  among  friendly  savages,  at 
another  among  a  race  of  unfriendly  giants. 


The  Stout- Hearted  Sailor  93 

Each  time  the  ships  were  headed  farther  and 
farther  south. 

At  this  time  Magellan  had  other  troubles 
besides  directing  the  fleet.  You  remember 
that  he  was  a  Portuguese,  although  he  was 
sailing  under  the  King  of  Spain.  So  it  hap- 
pened that  while  some  of  the  sailors  were  from 
Magellan's  country,  most  of  them  were  Span- 
iards. These  latter  were  jealous  of  their 
leader  because  he  belonged  to  a  different  na- 
tion from  themselves.  Some  of  them  talked 
secretly  together  and  made  a  plan  to  imprison 
him  and  take  possession  of  the  ships. 

But  Magellan  learned  of  their  wicked  plot 
in  time  to  defeat  them,  and  he  punished  them 
as  they  deserved.  Only  a  cool  and  daring  man 
could  have  succeeded  in  defeating  so  many 
strong  enemies.  But  he  did  succeed,  and  the 
ships  sailed  onward  as  though  nothing  had 
happened. 

It  grew  colder  and  colder.    A  violent  storm 


94   Our  Little  Philippine  Cousin 

arose  and  the  ships  were  tossed  about  like 
leaves  in  the  wind.  But  Magellan  was  without 
fear  and  kept  his  men  filled  with  courage.  At 
length  he  reached  a  narrow  passage  leading  to 
the  west.    He  said  to  his  captains  : 

"  I  believe  we  have  come  to  the  end  of  this 
continent.  If  we  can  make  our  way  through 
this  strait  we  shall  look  upon  the  new  ocean. " 

And  the  brave  explorer  sailed  safely  through 
the  dangerous  strait  now  named  for  him. 
The  storm  passed  away,  and  one  bright,  clear 
morning  Magellan  looked  for  the  first  time 
upon  a  new  and  vast  extent  of  water.  It  was 
the  dreamed-of  ocean.  It  looked  so  calm  and 
peaceful  that  he  said,  "  I  will  call  it  c  Pacific,' 
for  I  have  never  seen  the  like  before." 

Weeks  were  spent  upon  these  waters.  They 
were  so  quiet  that  for  days  at  a  time  the  ships 
could  not  advance.  There  was  hardly  a  breath 
of  wind. 

And  now  it  was  discovered  that  the  supplies 


The  Stout- Hearted  Sailor  95 

were  getting  low.  The  sailors  thought  of 
home  so  far  away5  of  friends  they  might  never 
see  again ;  they  pictured  death  by  starvation 
here  in  the  midst  of  these  beautiful  waters. 
The  food  was  served  out  in  smaller  and 
smaller  portions  to  the  unhappy  men.  At  last 
they  were  told  there  was  nothing  left  to  satisfy 
their  hunger  save  the  rats  which  infested  the 
ships  and  some  ox-hides  which  had  been  used 
to  protect  the  rigging. 

Think  for  a  moment  of  the  condition  of 
Magellan  and  those  with  him.  They  were 
out  of  sight  of  land  in  the  midst  of  an  un- 
known ocean.  Some  were  already  dying  of 
thirst ;  others  were  too  sick  and  weak  to  help 
in  the  care  of  the  ship.  Do  you  wonder  that 
the  sailors  felt  bitter  at  the  one  who  had 
brought  them  here  and  was  the  cause  of 
their  suffering  ?  But  Magellan  did  not  give 
up  courage,  even  now.  He  ordered  the  hides 
to  be  softened  in  the  sea  water  and  then 


g6    Our  Little  Philippine  Cousin 

boiled.  For  some  days  longer  the  crews 
managed  to  live  on  with  this  for  food. 

One  morning,  when  hope  was  nearly  gone, 
a  fresh  breeze  from  the  east  filled  the  sails  of 
the  ships,  and  in  a  few  hours  Magellan  saw 
land  in  the  distance.  The  men's  hearts  beat 
hard  for  joy  at  the  welcome  sight.  They 
soon  reached  a  small  island  where  ripe  fruits 
were  abundant,  and  where  they  could  provide 
fresh  supplies  for  the  ships. 

But  they  did  not  stay  many  days,  for  Ma- 
gellan was  not  even  now  ready  to  give  up  his 
search  for  the  famous  lands  of  the  East.  He 
felt  that,  as  the  world  was  round,  he  must 
surely  be  near  them  by  this  time.  So  once 
more  the  ships  set  sail,  and  soon  reached  the 
shores  of  one  of  the  Philippines,  but  a  short 
distance  from  Alila's  home.  It  looked  so 
rich  and  beautiful  that  the  ships  anchored 
once  more,  and  the  admiral  ordered  the  sick 
men  to  be  taken  on  shore.    Large  tents  were 


The  Stout- Hearted  Sailor  97 

set  up,  and  the  sufferers  were  nursed  back  to 
health  and  strength.  There  was  an  abundance 
of  good  pure  water  and  fresh  food.  All  were 
soon  well  and  strong. 

There  were  no  people  living  on  this  island, 
but  two  days  after  he  arrived  Magellan  saw 
some  canoes  out  upon  the  water.  They  were 
coming  swiftly  toward  the  camp.  They  were 
filled  with  natives  of  another  island  near  by,  who 
had  seen  the  ships  of  the  strangers  ;  they  were 
curious  to  look  upon  the  white  men  who 
were  living  near  them. 

These  people  of  Alila's  race  had  soft  yellow 
skins  and  beautiful  white  teeth.  They  wore 
no  clothing  except  aprons  made  of  bark. 
They  danced  around  the  great  admiral  as  he 
stood  on  the  shore  dressed  in  his  most  ele- 
gant garments,  and  laughed  and  shouted. 
They  wished  him  to  see  they  were  friendly. 
They  offered  fresh  fish  and  palm  wine,  cocoa- 
nuts  and  figs,  while   Magellan  made  them 


98    Our  Little  Philippine  Cousin 

wildly  happy  by  giving  them  looking-glasses 
and  bells,  ivory  toys  and  brass  trinkets.  As 
he  found  them  honest  and  peaceful,  he  allowed 
them  to  go  on  board  his  ships.  He  ordered 
his  men  to  fire  the  cannon  to  amuse  them, 
but  the  noise  frightened  them  so  much  that 
some  of  them  jumped  into  the  water  and 
came  near  drowning. 

The  chief  of  these  people  came  to  see  the 
Spaniards.  His  face  was  painted,  and  he 
wore  heavy  gold  earrings  and  bracelets.  He 
was  kind  and  pleasant.  He  brought  a  boat- 
load of  fruit  and,  best  of  all,  some  chickens. 

Magellan  learned  from  these  people  that  he 
was  near  still  richer  and  larger  islands.  After 
a  few  days  he  started  out  once  more.  He 
passed  island  after  island,  sometimes  landing 
on  their  shores,  sometimes  sailing  slowly  along, 
drawing  a  map  of  these  new  and  wonderful 
places. 

At  the  island  of  Cebu,  Magellan  made 


The  Stout- Hearted  Sailor  99 

friends  with  the  king,  who  was  baptised  by  the 
priests,  and  pretended  to  become  a  Christian. 
A  large  cross  bearing  a  wooden  crown  was  set 
up  on  the  top  of  a  high  hill  near  the  shore. 
It  was  a  token  to  all  travellers  who  should 
come  this  way  that  this  land  now  belonged  to 
the  King  of  Spain. 

While  the  white  visitors  were  staying  here, 
the  King  of  Cebu  did  all  he  could  to  enter- 
tain them.  He  seemed  anxious  to  show  how 
friendly  he  felt  toward  them.  The  Spanish 
sailors  were  much  interested  in  the  strange 
customs  and  festivals  of  the  brown  people. 
They  noticed  that  the  food  was  only  half 
cooked  and  then  heavily  salted.  This  made 
the  eaters  very  thirsty,  and  quite  ready  to 
drink  quantities  of  palm  wine  afterward.  They 
sucked  this  through  long  reeds  of  bamboo. 
They  were  always  glad  to  have  the  sailors 
share  their  feasts  and  entertainments. 

Just  as  the  fleet  was  about  to  set  sail  again, 


ioo  Our  Little  Philippine  Cousin 

something  happened  to  change  Magellan's 
plans.  The  King  of  Cebu  was  in  trouble. 
The  people  of  another  island  over  whom  he 
was  also  the  ruler  were  coming  to  make  war 
upon  him.  Could  the  brave  admiral  refuse 
help,  when  the  king  had  treated  him  so 
kindly  ?    Surely  not.    He  said  to  the  king : 

"  Let  me  go  against  these  rebels  and  make 
peace  for  you.  I  have  cannons  which  I  will 
use,  and  other  weapons  of  war  such  as  they 
have  never  seen  before.  They  will  be  easily 
terrified,  and  quickly  submit  to  your  rule." 

So  it  was  that  Magellan  and  sixty  of  his  fol- 
lowers sailed  against  the  enemy.  But  when 
they  arrived  at  the  island  they  found  a  large 
army  ready  to  meet  them.  The  warriors  car- 
ried sharp  spears,  bows,  and  poisoned  arrows, 
and  each  man  was  protected  by  a  wooden 
shield.  They  stood  upon  the  side  of  a  hill. 
As  Magellan  and  his  men  landed  and  advanced 
toward  them,  they  rushed  down  upon  the 


The  Stout- Hearted  Sailor  101 


Spaniards  with  fury,  surrounding  them  on  all 
sides. 

The  great  leader  was  calm  and  brave  as 
usual,  but  there  was  little  hope  for  success. 
In  another  hour  he  had  fallen,  a  noble  victim 
to  his  savage  foes.  Many  of  his  followers  fell 
by  his  side ;  the  rest  managed  to  escape  to  the 
ships  and  sail  back  to  Cebu  to  tell  the  sad 
news  to  the  king. 

Thus  ended  the  life  of  the  noble  Magellan, 
the  first  white  man  to  cross  the  broad  waters 
of  the  Pacific,  the  first  one  to  show  others  it 
was  indeed  possible  to  sail  around  the  world. 

He  was  unlike  many  who  lived  in  those  old 
days,  —  for  he  did  not  care  for  gold  or  great 
possessions.  He  only  wished  to  know  more 
of  this  wonderful  world,  and  to  help  others  to 
greater  wisdom.  He  gave  his  life  for  one 
whom  he  thought  had  need  of  help. 

How  did  the  King  of  Cebu  act  when  he 
learned  of  the  leader's  death  ?    He  turned 


102  Our  Little  Philippine  Cousin 

against  those  of  his  followers  who  were  left, 
and  they  were  obliged  to  depart  in  haste. 

They  made  still  other  discoveries  of  great 
value.  At  length,  sailing  around  the  continent 
of  Africa,  they  returned  to  Spain  to  tell  of  the 
brave  deeds  of  their  dead  leader,  the  great  ad- 
miral and  navigator,  and  their  own  strange 
adventures. 

They  were  the  first  men  to  sail  around  the 
world. 


THE  END. 


THE  LITTLE  COUSIN  SERIES 

The  most  delightful  and  interesting  accounts  possible  of 
child-life  in  other  lands,  filled  with  quaint  sayings,  doings, 
and  adventures. 

Each  i  vol.,  i2mo,  decorative  cover,  cloth,  with  six  full- 
page  illustrations  in  color  by  L.  J.  Bridgman. 

Price  per  volume  $0.60 

By  MARY  HAZ ELTON  WADE 

Our  Little  African  Cousin 
Our  Little  Armenian  Cousin 
Our  Little  Brown  Cousin 
Our  Little  Cuban  Cousin 
Our  Little  Eskimo  Cousin 
Our  Little  German  Cousin 
Our  Little  Hawaiian  Cousin 
Our  Little  Indian  Cousin 
Our  Little  Irish  Cousin 
Our  Little  Italian  Cousin 
Our  Little  Japanese  Cousin 
Our  Little  Jewish  Cousin 
Our  Little  Mexican  Cousin 
Our  Little  Norwegian  Cousin 
Our  Little  Philippine  Cousin 
Our  Little  Porto  Rican  Cousin 
Our  Little  Russian  Cousin 
Our  Little  Siamese  Cousin 
Our  Little  Swiss  Cousin 
Our  Little  Turkish  Cousin 

By  BLANCHE  McMANUS 

Our  Little  English  Cousin 
Our  Little  French  Cousin 

By  ELIZABETH  ROBERTS  MacDONALD 

Our  Little  Canadian  Cousin 

By  ISAAC  HEADLAND  TAYLOR 

Our  Little  Chinese  Cousin 

By  H.  LEE  M.  PIKE 

Our  Little  Korean  Cousin 

A-l 


ANIMAL  TALES 

By  Charles  G.  D.  Roberts 

ILLUSTRATED  BY 

Charles  Livingston  Bull 

as  follows : 

The  Lord  of  the  Air 

(The  Eagle) 

The  King  of  the  Mamozekel 

(The  Moose) 

The  Watchers  of  the  Camp-fire 

(The  Panther) 

The  Haunter  of  the  Pine  Gloom 

(The  Lynx) 

The  Return  to  the  Trails 

(The  Bear) 

The  Little  People  of  the  Sycamore 

(The  Raccoon) 

Each  i  vol.,  small  i2mo,  cloth  decorative,  per  volume, 

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Realizing  the  great  demand  for  the  animal  stories  of 
Professor  Roberts,  one  of  the  masters  of  nature  writers, 
the  publishers  have  selected  six  representative  stories,  to  be 
issued  separately,  at  a  popular  price.  Each  story  is  illus- 
trated by  Charles  Livingston  Bull,  and  is  bound  in  a  hand- 
some decorative  cover. 

A— 3 


COSY  CORNER  SERIES 

It  is  the  intention  of  the  publishers  that  this  series  shall 
contain  only  the  very  highest  and  purest  literature, — 
stories  that  shall  not  only  appeal  to  the  children  them- 
selves, but  be  appreciated  by  all  those  who  feel  with 
them  in  their  joys  and  sorrows. 

The  numerous  illustrations  in  each  book  are  by  well-known 
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design. 

Each,  i  vol.,  i6mo,  cloth  $0.50 

By  ANNIE  FELLOWS  JOHNSTON 

The  Little  Colonel.  (Trade  Mark.) 

The  scene  of  this  story  is  laid  in  Kentucky.  Its  heroine 
is  a  small  girl,  who  is  known  as  the  Little  Colonel,  on 
account  of  her  fancied  resemblance  to  an  old-school  South- 
ern gentleman,  whose  fine  estate  and  old  family  are  famous 
in  the  region.  This  old  Colonel  proves  to  be  the  grand- 
father of  the  child. 

The  Giant  Scissors, 

This  is  the  story  of  Joyce  and  of  her  adventures  in 
France,  —  the  wonderful  house  with  the  gate  of  The  Giant 
Scissors,  Jules,  her  little  playmate,  Sister  Denisa,  the  cruel 
Brossard,  and  her  dear  Aunt  Kate.  Joyce  is  a  great  friend 
of  the  Little  Colonel,  and  in  later  volumes  shares  with  her 
the  delightful  experiences  of  the  "  House  Party "  and  the 
"  Holidays." 

Two  Little  Knights  of  Kentucky, 

Who  Were  the  Little  Colonel's  Neighbors. 

In  this  volume  the  Little  Colonel  returns  to  us  like  an  old 
friend,  but  with  added  grace  and  charm.  She  is  not, 
however,  the  central  figure  of  the  story,  that  place  being 
taken  by  the  u  two  little  knights." 

A  —  3 


Z.  C.  PAGE  AND  COMPANY'S 


By  ANNIE  FELLOWS  JOHNSTON  {Continued) 

Cicely  and  Other  Stories  for  Girls. 

The  readers  of  Mrs.  Johnston's  charming  juveniles  will 
be  glad  to  learn  of  the  issue  of  this  volume  for  young 
people. 

Aunt  'Liza's  Hero  and  Other  Stories. 

A  collection  of  six  bright  little  stories,  which  will  appeal 
to  all  boys  and  most  girls. 

Big  Brother. 

A  story  of  two  boys.  The  devotion  and  care  of  Steven, 
himself  a  small  boy,  for  his  baby  brother,  is  the  theme  of 
the  simple  tale. 

Ole  Mammy's  Torment. 

"  Ole  Mammy's  Torment "  has  been  fitly  called  "  a  classic 
of  Southern  life."  It  relates  the  haps  and  mishaps  of  a 
small  negro  lad,  and  tells  how  he  was  led  by  love  and  kind- 
ness to  a  knowledge  of  the  right. 

The  Story  of  Dago. 

In  this  story  Mrs.  Johnston  relates  the  story  of  Dago,  a 
pet  monkey,  owned  jointly  by  two  brothers.  Dago  tells 
his  own  story,  and  the  account  of  his  haps  and  mishaps  is 
both  interesting  and  amusing. 

The  Quilt  That  Jack  Built. 

A  pleasant  little  story  of  a  boy's  labor  of  love,  and  how 
it  changed  the  course  of  his  life  many  years  after  it  was 
accomplished. 

Flip's  Islands  of  Providence. 

A  story  of  a  boy's  life  battle,  his  early  defeat,  and  his 
final  triumph,  well  worth  the  reading. 

A— 4 


COSY  CORNER  SERIES 


By  EDITH  ROBINSON 

A  Little  Puritan's  First  Christmas. 

A  story  of  Colonial  times  in  Boston,  telling  how  Christ- 
mas was  invented  by  Betty  Sewall,  a  typical  child  of  the 
Puritans,  aided  by  her  brother  Sam. 

A  Little  Daughter  of  Liberty. 

The  author's  motive  for  this  story  is  well  indicated  by  a 
quotation  from  her  introduction,  as  follows : 

"  One  ride  is  memorable  in  the  early  history  of  the 
American  Revolution,  the  wTell-known  ride  of  Paul  Revere. 
Equally  deserving  of  commendation  is  another  ride,  —  the 
ride  of  Anthony  Severn,  —  which  was  no  less  historic  in  its 
action  or  memorable  in  its  consequences." 

A  Loyal  Little  Maid. 

A  delightful  and  interesting  story  of  Revolutionary  days, 
in  which  the  child  heroine,  Betsey  Schuyler,  renders  im- 
portant services  to  George  Washington. 

A  Little  Puritan  Rebel. 

This  is  an  historical  tale  of  a  real  girl,  during  the  time 
when  the  gallant  Sir  Harry  Vane  was  governor  of  Massa- 
chusetts. 

A  Little  Puritan  Pioneer. 

The  scene  of  this  story  is  laid  in  the  Puritan  settlement  at 
Charlestown.  The  little  girl  heroine  adds  another  to  the 
list  of  favorites  so  well  known  to  the  young  people. 

A  Little  Puritan  Bound  Girl. 

A  story  of  Boston  in  Puritan  days,  which  is  of  great 
interest  to  youthful  readers. 

A  Little  Puritan  Cavalier. 

The  story  of  a  "  Little  Puritan  Cavalier"  who  tried  with 
all  his  boyish  enthusiasm  to  emulate  the  spirit  and  ideals  of 
the  dead  Crusaders. 

A  —  5 


Z.  C.  PAGE  AND  COMPANY'S 


By  MISS  MULOCK 

The  Little  Lame  Prince. 

A  delightful  story  of  a  little  boy  who  has  many  adven- 
tures by  means  of  the  magic  gifts  of  his  fairy  godmother. 

Adventures  of  a  Brownie. 

The  story  of  a  household  elf  who  torments  the  cook  and 
gardener,  but  is  a  constant  joy  and  delight  to  the  children 
who  love  and  trust  him. 

His  Little  Mother. 

Miss  Mulock's  short  stories  for  children  are  a  constant 
source  of  delight  to  them,  and  "  His  Little  Mother,"  in  this 
new  and  attractive  dress,  will  be  welcomed  by  hosts  of 
youthful  readers. 

Little  Sunshine's  Holiday. 

An  attractive  story  of  a  summer  outing.  "  Little  Sun- 
shine"  is  another  of  those  beautiful  child-characters  for 
which  Miss  Mulock  is  so  justly  famous. 

By  JULIANA  HORATIA  EWING 

Jackanapes. 

A  new  edition,  with  new  illustrations,  of  this  exquisite 
and  touching  story,  dear  alike  to  young  and  old. 

Story  of  a  Short  Life. 

This  beautiful  and  pathetic  story  will  never  grow  old.  It 
is  a  part  of  the  world's  literature,  and  will  never  die. 

A  Great  Emergency. 

How  a  family  of  children  prepared  for  a  great  emergency, 
and  how  they  acted  when  the  emergency  came. 

A — 6 


COSY  CORNER  SERIES 


By  OUIDA  {Louise  de  la  Ramie) 

A  Dog  Of  Flanders  :  A  Christmas  Story. 
Too  well  and  favorably  known  to  require  description. 

The  Nurnberg  Stove. 

This  beautiful  story  has  never  before  been  published  at  a 
popular  price. 

By  FRANCES  MARGARET  FOX 

The  Little  Giant's  Neighbours. 

A  charming  nature  story  of  a  "  little  giant "  whose  neigh- 
bours were  the  creatures  of  the  field  and  garden. 

Farmer  Brown  and  the  Birds. 

A  little  story  which  teaches  children  that  the  birds  are 
man's  best  friends. 

Betty  of  Old  Mackinaw. 

A  charming  story  of  child-life,  appealing  especially  to  the 
little  readers  who  like  stories  of  "  real  people." 

Mother  Nature's  Little  Ones. 

Curious  little  sketches  describing  the  early  lifetime,  or 
"  childhood,"  of  the  little  creatures  out-of-doors. 

How  Christmas  Came  to  the  Mul- 
vaneys. 

A  bright,  lifeiike  little  story  of  a  family  of  poor  children, 
with  an  unlimited  capacity  for  fun  and  mischief.  The 
wonderful  never-to-be-forgotten  Christmas  that  came  to 
them  is  the  climax  of  a  series  of  exciting  incidents. 
A—  7 


L.  C.  PAGE  AND  COMPANY'S 


By  WILL  ALLEN  DROMGOOLE 

The  Farrier's  Dog  and  His  Fellow. 

This  story,  written  by  the  gifted  young  Southern  woman, 
will  appeal  to  all  that  is  best  in  the  natures  of  the  many 
admirers  of  her  graceful  and  piquant  style. 

The  Fortunes  of  the  Fellow. 

Those  who  read  and  enjoyed  the  pathos  and  charm  of 
"  The  Farrier's  Dog  and  His  Fellow "  will  welcome  the 
further  account  of  the  adventures  of  Baydaw  and  the  Fel- 
low at  the  home  of  the  kindly  smith. 

The  Best  of  Friends. 

This  continues  the  experiences  of  the  Farrier's  dog  and 
his  Fellow,  written  in  Miss  Dromgoole's  well-known  charm- 
ing style. 

Down  in  Dixie. 

A  fascinating  story  for  boys  and  girls,  of  a  family  of  Ala- 
bama children  who  move  to  Florida  and  grow  up  in  the 
South. 


By  MARIAN  W.  WILDMAN 

Loyalty  Island. 

An  account  of  the  adventures  of  four  children  and  their 
pet  dog  on  an  island,  and  how  they  cleared  their  brother 
from  the  suspicion  of  dishonesty. 

Theodore  and  Theodora. 

This  is  a  story  of  the  exploits  and  mishaps  of  two  mis- 
chievous twins,  and  continues  the  adventures  of  the  interest- 
ing group  of  children  in  "  Loyalty  Island." 

A— 8 


Date  Due 







Form  335.    25M— 7-38— S 

813. 59        W121  385709 

Wade 

Our  Little  Philippine 

Cousin 

DATE                                                    ISSUED  TO 

313.59          W121  385709 

